A Witchy Idea in Battle City
by RobynHood3
Summary: With Duelist Kingdom over, Christine and the gang return to Domino hoping for a stress-less school year. The Ghouls seem to have different intentions. The arrival of the God Cards seals the fates of both Christine and Yami and nothing will be the same. Sequel to A Witchy Idea in Duelist Kingdom and third in A Witchy Idea saga.
1. Dungeon Dice Monsters

**Hey guys! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, whether it be Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever holiday you celebrate. My parents were freaking psychic this year and got me a lot of what I wanted. My mom ended up buying me a collector's edition of Yugi's deck that came with a nearly head sized card of Dark Magician. It's terrifying. But anyway! I wanted to post the first chapter in November, as it is Christine's and, supposedly the Pharaoh's, birth month but I got busy with classes and lost track of time.**

 **As the title of the story explains, this is Battle City and the beginning of my confusion as I try to put Yami somewhere in the Egyptian 18th Dynasty. It still causes me confusion! I think I have it narrowed down to the point where I keep the story as seamless as possible with actual Egyptian history and the canon of the story. Most of those details won't show up till the Millennium Arc season but I want to keep you all in the loop on my progress.**

 **I only own Christine. I don't own a thing of Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything I mention in this chapter.**

We had only been back from Duelist Kingdom for about a month. Grandpa had been doing well and Yugi's mother and I had been making sure that he was taking it easy. I couldn't hound over Grandpa's shoulder like I wanted to as Yami and Yugi were constantly hounding over my shoulder from the whole 'falling asleep at the drop of a hat' stage. Even after I could stay awake for a whole day, the two were still following me around and making me rest if I even gave a yawn.

Luckily, the two eventually laid off me. I was grateful for their worry and made sure to show them my appreciation by making Yugi burgers for dinner the night before classes started back up again. The smile on Yugi's face was the brightest I'd seen in a long time.

It was the first day of the second month of classes when everything began to pick up again.

I was sitting at the breakfast table on the sunny Saturday morning while Yugi's mother was fluttering around the kitchen. I had seen neither hide nor hair of Yugi this morning, though I did hear him talking to himself, or rather Yami, when I passed by his room. Just as I put my dishes into the washer, I heard Grandpa call from the front of the shop into the open window.

"Oi, Yugi! Christine!" He called. "Anzu's waiting for you!"

I heard a thump come from down the hall, most likely from Yugi's room, and gave a laugh; the boy must have still been in deep conversation with Yami. Yugi was still an open book when it came to his crush on Anzu. It was only a minute until Yugi bolted into the room and raced out the door.

"Yugi!" His mother scolded. "You didn't eat your breakfast…."

"Sorry, mom!" He called back. "Gotta run!"

She gave a light sigh when Yugi raced down the stairs to the shop level, a light growl of 'Don't tease me like that' leaving his lips. I figured that she was worried about her son, especially with the increased instances of talking to himself. I wanted to alleviate her worries about him but I wasn't sure what to do half the time. I settled with my word on keeping an eye on Yugi, hopefully that would help a little bit. I grabbed a small bag of breakfast foods and ran after Yugi, waving back to his mother.

"See you this afternoon!" I called.

Yugi and Anzu were waiting at the front door with Grandpa, broom in hand. I held out the bag to Yugi and the boy took it with a smile, immediately delving inside to munch on the small sandwich inside. We set off once Yugi had finished the sandwich and promised that he would finish once we got to class.

"See ya later, Grandpa." Yugi cried back to his grandfather as we left.

"I'm glad to see Mr. Motou doing so well!" Anzu chirped once we were a few paces away. "You know… It was scary when Pegasus stole his soul! And then it had to come all the way back from Duelist Kingdom!"

"I heard he met my dead grandmother on his way back…." Yugi deadpanned back, making me giggle loudly.

"He told me that whole experience." I giggled out. "If he hadn't reached his body fast enough, she may have whacked him with a broom!"

Anzu giggled at the remark but Yugi was lost in thought. He leaned in so that the three of us were in whisper range.

"Just between us… Grandpa's not too happy right now…"

"What..." Anzu breathed. "Why?"

We were suddenly barreled over by a stampeding Grandpa.

"I thought you'd never ask!" He barked out, scaring all out us out of our skins. "I, Sugoruoku Motou, at 72 years of age, am facing my biggest crisis ever! My store is in danger of going out of business! Behold! Over there!"

We all looked over to where Grandpa was pointing. It was large building that had been being built for the past few months; I didn't pay much attention to it as my window as far away from the site but the sounds still made its way through the window. The arch above the entrance read 'Black Crown' and just above that was the image of a smiling clown. Outside was another clown handing out balloons to passing children; my mind conjured the image of Pennywise the Clown and I gave a shiver. Great… Clowns…

"Black Crown?" Anzu breathed in question.

"It's a store selling the newest games!" Yugi chirped. "Tomorrow's the grand opening."

"Wow… A rival game store right across the street, huh?"

"Look at that crowd even before it's even open…" Grandpa sighed out. "I hear the games sold at Black Crown can't be purchased anywhere else. It has an exclusive contract with a genius game designer. They make and sell their own games. And when they open tomorrow, their latest hot game will go on sale…"

Grandpa gave a heaving sigh and sauntered back to the shop. I felt bad for the old man in that moment but I couldn't hold onto the thought as Yugi bolted off toward the new shop. Anzu and I raced off after him.

As Yugi looked around, I stuck close to Anzu. I couldn't explain why but I felt very uncomfortable here. I turned around to see the clown holding out a balloon to us. Anzu and I both jumped, being terrified out of our skins, but forced smiles on our faces.

"N-no, thank you." I stammered out, holding my hands up.

It took a moment to gather our bearings, but we eventually caught our breath and made our way over to Yugi.

"C'mon, Yugi…" Anzu tugged at Yugi's wrist. "We'll be late for school. I saw that look in your eyes when you heard about that new game!"

Yugi pouted.

"That's not true…" Yugi grumbled back.

"It so was." I teased and laughed loudly as Yugi's face bloomed into a bright blush.

"Why don't we all get together and play something tomorrow, then?" Anzu asked as we finally moved away from the store.

"All right!" Yugi cheered.

We made it to school on time and when our first break came up, Anzu, Yugi and I all spoke to the rest of the gang about the new game store.

"Black Crown?" Bakura asked, his eyebrow raising into his mop of hair.

"Its arrival is pretty overwhelming!" Anzu added.

"That's why Grandpa isn't in a good mood lately." Yugi sighed out finally.

Jounouchi gave a light shrug. I couldn't help but notice that he seemed a lot happier than he did in the past couple days. I wonder what's been going on.

"I know about that store!" He explained. "Their ad was in the newspaper this morning as well."

It was Anzu's turn to raise her eyebrow but she had a smile on her face.

"You subscribe to a newspaper, Jounouchi?" She asked.

"Idiot! I'm just a delivery boy!"

The blond gave a bright smile. "The prize I got from Duelist Kingdom was all spent on the surgery!"

Oh, yeah! Shizuka!

"How is your younger sister?" Honda asked with me nodding and smiling over his shoulder.

"Yeah! Come on, tell!" I begged.

Jounouchi's face was threatening to split into two with this next smile.

"Shizuka's eyes are completely cured already!"

We all shouted with joy. This must have been wonderful for Jounouchi. We all clamored on about how we all should go and visit the younger sibling with Jounouchi agreeing, saying that she would like to meet all of us at last.

I didn't pay much attention to Jounouchi's next question to Yugi as I had quickly jumped to the desk assigned to me, next to Yugi's once more, to settle my books for the next class. When I returned, a high-pitched shriek echoed from the window seats.

We all turned to see a chatter of girls surrounding a young man I had never seen before. He had long black hair pulled back into a pony tail but some still fell into his face. I could faintly see a bandana around his forehead that kept some of his hair in place. I couldn't tell his eye color as he kept them closed, probably for some sort of flair. He was holding a red cup and five dice were piled up on his desk like he had painstakingly stacked them.

"Can you do it again?" One of the girls asked.

"Sure." The boy replied. "But this time… Let's bet something."

The young man finally opened his eyes and they were a dark green. He pulled another die out of his pocket and added it to his little pile. "This time, I'll do it with six dice! If this works, let's say, you'll buy me lunch. Now watch!"

Skillfully gathering up the dice, the boy spun them around in the cup for a moment before slamming it down on the desk. The girls looked very intently at the cup for a moment until the boy picked up the cup to reveal all six dice were stacked perfectly, all showing the same number of dots on all sides. The girls shrieked in joy once more but Jounouchi only scoffed.

"Who's **that** dude?" He scoffed. "Was he in our class?"

"I've never seen him before." I replied, looking to everyone with a light shrug.

"I think he's Ryuji Ototgi." Yugi answered, looking over his shoulder so that he could see as well.

"There have been a lot of new faces since we've gone up a year." Anzu pointed out.

"But there's no end in sight for our sinister group, right, you guys?" Honda joked with a bright smile.

That made me smile and I gave Honda a high five. Jounouchi didn't seem too amused, only continuing to look over to our new classmate.

"Man…" He huffed. "I don't like it! I hate guys who use cheap tricks to pick up girls!"

Anzu gave a loud scoff in response.

"You're just jealous of whoever's popular." She retorted.

"Heh! I'm the kind of guy who keeps a well sharpened sword in its sheath! I don't need to show off my talents to others!"

I rolled my eyes. While he may not like showing off, he does like boasting about them. Honda, in a deadpan expression and tone, made me laugh and Jounouchi mad with just one question.

"Uhh…" He drawled out first. "Jounouchi… Do you **have** any talents?"

"Ooooh!" I gasped out in laughter. "Burn!"

Jounouchi gave a growl, glaring slightly at Honda.

"Weren't you watching at Duelist Kingdom?!" Jounouchi snapped. "I awoke to my talents on that island! A talent for card games!"

I gave another giggle at the words but it was cut short when Ryuji suddenly walked over to our side of the room. I hadn't noticed it before but his left ear was pierced and hanging from a small chain was a large die. He wore a soft smile but it could also be mistaken as a smirk.

"Really…" He began slowly. "You're good at games? Is that true?"

Jounouchi's glare, which had remained unbroken for a few moments, suddenly snapped into a confident smirk, leaving all of us face palming.

"It was a little bit ago…" Jounouchi began. "You ever hear of this name Keith Howard? The American Duel Monsters champion? They say he was one of the World's greatest card players! Well… let's just say he wasn't bad, but he was no match for me!"

My face palm was the last one but had to be the loudest; I'm sure I left a bruise on my forehead in the shape of my hand from the force. My friend from home would've called me Sokka and laughed herself silly because of it. Anzu and Honda gave loud sighs as well.

"Is it just me or is he totally bragging?" Anzu asked Honda and myself.

"He's just drawn every sword he's got…" Honda sighed.

Ryuji's smile grew, it was almost an amazed expression now.

"Wow!" He gasped. "Not bad! Duel Monsters is one of my favorite games! Of course, I've heard of Bandit Keith!"

Jounouchi soaked up the words, obviously taking in the ego boosting words quickly. "Do you want to play a little game right now?" We all looked over to him curiously. What was he doing? "More like a bet than a game… What do you say? We'll use this cup and this die…" Jounouchi gave a bright smile and I immediately knew this wasn't going to end well.

Ryuji settled himself in front of the desk, his gaggle of fangirls squealing to cheer him on. "Take a close look…. I have a die in my hand. Now I put it in my cup…" Ryuji made a big show of spinning the die around in the cup, making the annoying clacking sound. After another moment, he slams the cup onto the desk with a smile. "I flipped the cup with the die in it, right? I don't have anything in my hands. Now… can I move the die into my right hand without touching the cup? Wanna make a bet?"

Oh no…. I wanted to tell Jounouchi not to do it as Ryuji was saying the rules of the bet, the typical 'I'll do whatever you say for a week' bet. I knew the dirty trick that he was gonna pull and it made my blood boil.

"Wait, Jounouchi…" I tried to plead with him but it was too late.

"Sure!" He agreed. "Let's do it!"

I sighed, blocking out the rest of the conversation until Jounouchi made a mad swipe at the cup. Yugi shouted at him not to but it was, again, too late. Ryuji swiped the die off the table where it had been sitting the whole time with a triumphant grin.

"See!" He cheered. "The die moved to my right hand! I didn't touch the cup, did I? I win!"

Jounouchi didn't like that.

"Why… you lousy cheater-!" He growled out.

"That's not fair, Ryuji!" Yugi agreed.

Ryuji simply gave a playful shrug.

"Isn't the object of a game to outwit your opponent?" He asked.

Jounouchi gave another growl while Yugi looked completely flabbergasted. "A bet is a bet. Jounouchi, you'll do whatever I tell you to do for the next week!" Without even a blink, Yugi was quick to argue again in Jounouchi's behalf.

"You don't have to do it, Jounouchi! That game wasn't fair!"

"Unfair? Hmph… Just what was so unfair about it?"

"You said that you would move the die from the cup to your hand! But all you did was make Jounouchi move the cup and then you grabbed the die from the side!"

Ryuji, with a confidant smile on his face, began to spin the die between his fingers. I would have admitted that it was cool but I was too angry to even think about that.

"That's right! But the only rule was that I couldn't touch the cup and I didn't break the rule! That's what the bet was about."

Yugi tried to stammer out another protest but Ryuji beat him to it. "Listen… Jounouchi never realized the blind spot of this game. That's why he lost!" Ryuji explained that the whole point of the game was to coerce his opponent into moving the cup for him, using words to his advantage. Jounouchi didn't like those words at all.

"Are you trying to say that you wanted me to move the cup all along?!" Jounouchi snapped.

"Figured it out yet?" Ryuji laughed.

"One more time!" Jounouchi bargained. "Play me one more time, Ryuji!"

"Sure. But if you lose this time… You're my dog for two weeks."

'Oh no…' I thought as I sighed loudly again.

Ryuji pulled out four cards, all aces from what I saw, shuffled them onto the desk and explained the rules. If he pulled two aces of the same color, he won. It seemed simple but there seemed to be more that Ryuji wasn't telling.

Jounouchi picked his first two and growled when he saw a Red and Black ace staring back at him. He played again and was greeted with the same sight. "Jounouchi, you really are an unlucky guy… You can't even beat me even when the odds are even with no tricks! I expect you to keep your promise! For the next two weeks, you will do as I say!"

Ryuji stood up from his chair to look down at the glowering Jounouchi. "Let's see… For now… My first command is don't talk to anybody besides me! And when your master speaks, I expect you to bark!"

That, for some reason, made me mad. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to completely freeze Ryuji to the wall and leave him there for all to see. I didn't do that, though! I didn't hurt mortals like him! So why….? The words weren't even directed at me! It was like I had seen a similar experience before…. I brushed the thought aside, telling myself that I was having déjà vu from reading and watching this scene so many times back at my old home.

"Ryuji!" Yugi gasped, closing in on our classmate as I glowered. "What do you mean, 'master'?! He's your classmate! That's no way for friends to be!"

"Yeah!" Anzu agreed. "You don't have to listen to him, Jounouchi!"

Jounouchi turned back to us then, his eyes sharp with annoyance at his plight. He words though were gentle.

"Yugi…" Jounouchi directed at him. "Stay out of this. This is my problem."

"But Jounouchi…" Yugi tried to argue.

My eyes were so focused on the two boys, I didn't notice Ryuji adjusting the grip he had on his die. If I had, I definitely would have lost my temper and froze him.

"Who said you could **talk**?!" Ryuji snapped as he flicked the die across the desk and hit Jounouchi directly on the cheekbone.

I gasped loudly as the blond fell backwards into the chair, clutching his cheek in pain. Anzu, Honda and I all raced to his side, checking him over to see if there were any injuries. Once he got his bearings, Jounouchi let out a string of soft curses and threats. Beside myself with anger, my hand began to fill itself with magic. "Come on, let me hear a 'woof'!"

'Oh, you'll be woofing by the time I'm done with you…' I thought, pushing myself to my feet, ready to blow him across the room.

The sudden shiver down my spine stopped me and I gave a sigh when a familiar presence grabbed my wrist. I turned my gaze to level him the same chilling look but as usual, Yami was less than scared.

"Enough." Yami whispered. "Please, let me handle this. Take care of Jounouchi?"

I contemplated ripping my hand away but eventually figured that Yami had everything under control. I gave a soft sigh and nodded. I was rewarded with a gentle squeeze of my wrist and then he let go, turning to face Ryuji. "You've got some guts messing with my friend right in front of me."

Ryuji didn't seem too frightened. A cocky smile flittered over his face. I glowered once more but did nothing; Yami had it under control. I helped Jounouchi up, looked him over quickly for any other injuries. Once I was satisfied that he was fine, we both turned back to Yami and Ryuji. Yami had quickly settled himself into the chair that Jounouchi had been sitting in. "Ryuji! You're playing with **me** now! If I win, you'll do one thing I ask you to!"

"Fine." Ryuji quickly agreed. "But if you lose, you've got to answer to me."

"Ok."

The rest of the class had converged to the desk, looking at the two boys. Ryuji had gathered the cards up and was shuffling them out onto the desk again.

"Let's go with 'Four Aces'!"

"No…" Yami quickly interrupted. "You'll add a Joker to that."

Ryuji seemed confused at the words but he did it anyway. Once the cards were shuffled and placed again, Yami spoke again. "The rule is we'll take turns drawing from these cards and whoever collects cards of the same color wins! Except! You lose if you draw the Joker! If we both collect one of each color, it's a tie. Okay?"

"Fine!"

There was only a moment of silence before Yami picked the first card. I peeked over his shoulder while Ryuji was picking his and saw the Ace of Hearts. Yami picked his other card and we were greeted with the Ace of Clubs. While it wasn't a winning hand, it was something if Ryuji picked the Joker.

And much to my glee, he did! Yami won the game! "Crap! I want a rematch!"

"Ok!" Yami smiled as he picked up the cards and shuffled them with a smile.

Jounouchi snickered from beside me and I whacked him over the head when he teased Ryuji.

"Knowing your luck, Jounouchi, you'd pick the Joker too." I teased, much to Anzu and Honda's amusement and Jounouchi's chagrin.

Having had my fun, I peeked back over Yami's shoulder to see the cards he picked. This time it was a winning hand, both black aces, while Ryuji drew the ace of diamonds and the Joker.

"No way!" Ryuji gasped.

"Yes!" Honda cheered. "Yugi wins again!"

"Try again in ten years!" Jounouchi taunted.

With a smirk, Yami stood from the seat and just when he got to his feet, Ryuji snapped at him.

"Yugi!" He exclaimed. "Is this some kind of shell game?!"

Yami turned to him, smirk still in place.

"Maybe." He answered vaguely and I gave a snort of laughter.

Jounouchi poked his head into the conversation then, confusion lacing his expression.

"Shell game?" Jounouchi asked.

"An unfair game. It means to distract someone from the terrible odds."

"Summed up:" I shot in. "The game was rigged against you."

Jounouchi's jaw dropped and he looked to Yami for validation. Yami nodded his head, a half smile on his face. The blond's expression then turned to anger.

"Thinks he's so smart…" He growled. "Beatin' me in a rigged game!"

The smile no longer on his face, Yami turned back to Ryuji.

"Jounouchi, won't obey your orders, Ryuji." Yami huffed. "You can't break our friendship with a game! And don't you forget it!"

Ryuji didn't seem too chastised; the smirk was back on his face. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had the feeling that Ryuji wasn't finished with us yet.

* * *

The rest of the day went normally by my standards. Yugi and I walked home and the boy immediately went to his room and from the shuffling inside when I passed by, I could only guess that he was gathering his money for the opening day of the Black Crown.

Sure enough, Yugi woke me madly the next morning. He must have been so excited to get out the door, he scurried out before I was even fully conscious to understand his words. With a soft sigh though, I climbed out of bed and into a set of clothes. A white blouse with a pair of jean capris along with a pair of comfortable shoes. I was probably going to be on my feet a lot today.

Even with Yugi, Anzu, Bakura and I getting there early – Honda was stuck at home for the morning helping his dog – the place was crowded beyond belief.

"Look at that crowd!" Yugi breathed out in amazement. "Everybody's been waiting here since last night to be first to get a copy of D.D.M!"

"They don't even know what the game is and it's this popular?!" Anzu asked aloud.

"It feels like freaking Black Friday from back home." I sighed out, bad memories of pushing through crowds to go to stores with my best friend.

Bakura from next to me nodded his head, seeming to understand what I was talking about. Yugi looked down to his watch.

"Looks like Jounouchi's late…" He pointed out. "There's only a half an hour left till they open!"

Yugi sighed, sticking his hands into his pockets. "I don't have enough money to buy copies for me **and** Jounouchi. Grandpa's been worried about the store so he cut my allowance."

"Since it's the first day, they probably don't have many in stock anyway." Bakura pointed out.

Anzu gave a soft huff of annoyance there.

"There won't be any left by the time Jounouchi gets here!" She huffed. "It's his fault for being late!"

I laughed in agreement with Anzu. Yugi gave a bemused smile in response to the words until his attention was captured with the call of his name.

"Hey, Yugi!" It was Jounouchi! He was running past the other people waiting in line to where we were all standing. "Sorry I'm late!" Anzu huffed again, pointing down the way Jounouchi came.

"The end of the line's that way." She told him.

"C'mon, don't be so mean!"

"You were the one who's late." I reminded.

Jounouchi gave an embarrassed smile that did nothing to change Anzu's mind. Yugi simply smiled at his friend.

"I'm glad you made it on time!" Yugi chirped.

"Course I did!" Jounouchi smirked. "Everyone wants a copy of D.D.M! I'm gonna get my hands on the first day limited edition and sell it for a good price!"

Anzu and I exchanged dry expressions before we both sighed. Of course, there were ulterior motives to Jounouchi's actions.

Yugi glanced away from the gang and looked across the street, where the game shop was. I looked over as well and couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Poor Grandpa…

"This store is surrounded by people but look at my folks' game store across the street..." Yugi sighed.

"It looks like a ghost town." I sighed as well. "If Grandpa catches us over here, we're dead."

That sent a visible shiver down Yugi's spine. With an uncomfortable smile, he looked over to our friends.

"Nobody tell Grandpa that I bought a game from the Black Crown Game Store, okay?"

Jounouchi, Anzu and Bakura all seemed flabbergasted at the favor. "But you know me! If there's a new game out, I gotta get it! It doesn't matter if it's a rival store!"

I glanced over on a whim and came face to face with Grandpa's betrayed expression. My face paled dramatically and the rest of us tried to warn Yugi as he kept talking. "Just between us… Grandpa's taste in games is kinda old-fashioned. It's no wonder our store is not popular!"

"Ummm…. Yugi?" I managed at last and when the boy looked to me, I pointed behind him.

The boy turned his head and immediately regretted everything he said.

"You traitor!" Grandpa shouted and plunged Yugi into a thorough lecture.

I wanted to feel bad but Yugi deserved it. It also didn't help that I was dragged into the lecture as well. My jaw dropped in disbelief at the words.

"It wasn't my idea!"

Eventually the clock hit 11:00. I wanted to be grateful but the crowd billowing inside foiled my good mood. I hung outside as I waited for the rest of my friends to come out of the building. It was about 20 minutes before Jounouchi, followed by Anzu and Grandpa, exited the building.

"Woo hoo!" Jounouchi cheered, holding the small plastic bags over his head. "I got D.D.M!"

Grandpa was all smiles as well; in his hands was another plastic bag labeled 'D.D.M'. I rolled my eyes; if he was so mad about all of us coming over here to get the game, why did he get one too?

"I was able to buy one too!" The old man cheered.

"All right! Let's see what the fuss is about!"

Jounouchi ripped open the pouch and was silent for a moment. I pushed myself away from the wall to look over his shoulder. In Jounouchi's hand was a bright red die with each side covered with a different symbol. It was much different than the games I had played with dice my whole life. "How do you play this…?" Jounouchi voiced my confusion.

"Let's try playing it at my house!" Grandpa suggested much to Jounouchi's happiness.

I looked back towards the crowded shop, hoping to see Yugi skip out the door with his own packs in hand. When he didn't walk out in the next minute, I turned to Anzu.

"Have you seen Yugi?" I asked.

Anzu shook her head, the same nervous expression on her face.

"I wonder where he went." She replied with her own question.

Jounouchi and Grandpa looked up from their excitement and looked around themselves.

"Why don't we ask security?" Grandpa asked. "I'm sure that they'll help us."

We all agreed but were buffeted away by a real crabby security guard watching the entrance.

"Like I told you before, sir!" He snapped. "I haven't seen the person you're talking about!"

"You're lying!" Jounouchi snapped as well. "I know Yugi came here to buy a game!"

"As you can see, we're very crowded! He probably got tired of waiting in line, gave up on the game, and went home!"

I narrowed my eyes at the guard. I pushed myself so that I was standing next to Jounouchi.

"Yugi isn't the type to just give up on a game." I tried to say smoothly through my anger. "He would give up food for a day just to get one, I would know."

The guard didn't seem all that interested. Jounouchi would have continued on another tirade but Grandpa broke in once more.

"Jounouchi, Christine…" He said softly. "There's nothing we can do. Let's wait at my house. Maybe he'll show up after all."

With a light growl, Jounouchi pulled away from the door and we all followed after him. "He's in High School!" Grandpa began to muse. "He's too old to get lost!"

"Something's fishy!" Jounouchi growled. "Why would he leave without tellin' us?"

"He wouldn't." I answered softly, Bakura heard me as he gave a soft sigh.

"Let's take Mr. Motou's offer and wait there." Anzu was the voice of reason and nobody had any ammunition left to argue with her.

* * *

We spent what seemed to be hours waiting at the game shop. Grandpa and Jounouchi didn't even look at the new game they got, the both of them waiting quietly with Anzu and me. Bakura had left to run some errands and asked to be kept in the loop on if we found Yugi. An hour after we had arrived at the shop, a sharp shiver ran down my spine. It wasn't painful but it stung to a point that I had to lie down to settle my nerves. Everyone else probably assumed that I was lying down to rest my back so they didn't say anything.

After another hour, someone knocked at the locked shop door downstairs. Jounouchi, Anzu and I were the first to race downstairs and we came face to face with Honda. He had his enormous German Shepard dog and as we spoke, I was crouching down to pet the fluffy dog.

"What...!" Jounouchi gasped. "Bakura went back to Black Crown? Are you sure, Honda?"

"Yeah!" Honda pointed toward the new game store. "I just saw him a minute ago!"

"Come to think of it, where did Bakura go?" Anzu asked.

"He told me he was going to run errands." I replied, looking up from the dog. "I thought he told the rest of you guys that."

Anzu, along with Grandpa, shook her head. I gave a thoughtful sigh, fondling the dog's ears to try and get my thoughts on track.

"By the way, where's Yugi?" Honda asked. "I thought he'd be with you guys."

"As a matter of fact, we don't know where he is either." Grandpa replied.

"We were starting to get worried." Anzu added. "Christine has practically been biting at the bit waiting around."

I didn't retort to the correct statement, only continuing to pet Honda's dog.

"Come to think of it," Jounouchi turned his head to look at the game store once more. "Yugi disappeared at that dumb store too. And now Bakura… Something stinks."

Grandpa stood next to Jounouchi, his gaze firm on the new store as well.

"The Black Crown game store, eh?" He mused. "Could it be that they're not what they seem?"

"All right!" Jounouchi turned back to us. "Let's go back to the store!"

Nobody argued as we all nodded and I stood up from petting the dog. Before we got very far, Honda spoke up once more.

"Oh yeah." He called out. "There's one other thing that I think I should tell you."

Everyone turned to look at Honda then. "When I saw Bakura… He was wearing the Millennium Ring again!"

"No way!"

"Why?!" I gasped out.

I remembered the words Bakura said from before Duelist Kingdom. He wasn't in any danger from the spirit of the Millennium Ring as long as he didn't wear the thing. If what Honda said is true, when did he start wearing it again?

"Is that true, Honda?!" Anzu asked.

"I'm positive I saw the evil Bakura on Duelist Island." He explained. "I didn't say anything because he hadn't been acting weird since then…"

"You were looking at him funny then…" I mused. "And Bakura was talking strangely."

Honda made no motion to say that he heard me; he kept his eyes on Jounouchi.

"Crap!" He cursed. "Something really bad is going on! Let's hurry!"

Following after Jounouchi, we all burst into a run toward the large game shop.

The door opened smoothly, like a newly installed door would, but what confused me was that it was the middle of the day and nobody was in the store.

"Where the heck is everybody?" I asked aloud.

Anzu turned her head to look at the hours, reading them quickly.

"It's too early to close the store." She said.

"Honda, you said Bakura went in here, too, right?" Jounouchi asked, looking around the room.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…"

Honda, with a confused look on his face, looked around the room too. With me on his heels, we searched the small aisles of the shop until we came across the legs of the security guards from earlier.

"Look!" He called. "Somebody's on the ground!"

Everyone else ran over while I felt for vital signals. They were loud and clear against my fingertips and that was a slight relief.

"They're both alive." I said. "Though, I don't know what knocked them out."

"What the heck's going on?!" Jounouchi growled.

The blond was quick to turn away from the guards and go further into the game shop. "We've gotta find Yugi!" With all of us on his heels, we ran further into the store. Behind the counters were large rooms with tables. I didn't know what they were for but I had an idea that they were for the new game that this store created.

Eventually, we began to hear voices. They were panicked, talking madly about smoke. We all turned the corner to see Ryuji and Bakura standing in front of a door. Underneath it and through the small openings in it, dark smoke was beginning to pool out of it.

"Bakura!" Honda called and the boy turned around to look at him.

The expression was at first confusion, and then it melted into relief.

"Jounouchi!" He gasped. "Guys!"

"Where's Yugi?!" Jounouchi barked.

Bakura and Ryuji both pointed to the door where we all could hear voices. The one word that I could fully make out was a grown man screaming the word 'Fire'. It sent a shiver down my spine. Grandpa noticed it and he stepped over to me in an attempt to comfort me. I couldn't feel comfort just yet; just the thought of Yugi trapped in a blaze sent fear shooting through my veins.

Jounouchi and Honda began to slam the door, trying to get it to open. When it didn't budge, Jounouchi called Yugi's name. "Hold on, man! I'll get you outta there!"

To my relief, I heard Yugi's voice. It was muffled by the door but it was his. "Are you ready, Honda?"

"Yeah!" Honda replied.

At the same time, both boys kicked the door and it collapsed with a loud WHAM! Once the door opened, the fire began to lick up the new pieces of wood that came into its reach.

"Yes!" Grandpa cheered. "The door's open!"

"Yugi!" Anzu and I cried.

While Jounouchi and Honda were quick to jump into the blaze, I was hesitant. I heard Yugi cry out to Jounouchi and Honda then give a cough from the smoke. That was when I bolted in. I would have gone directly to Yugi but Anzu and Grandpa held me back.

"Ryuji, get your father out of here!" Jounouchi barked.

Ryuji didn't complain, gathering the other man in the room in his arms, and carrying him out of the room.

"Yugi, the fire's spreading!" Honda was then shouting to Yugi. "Let's go!"

For some reason, Yugi hesitated. He turned back to the flame-haloed table and I gave a gasp at what I saw. The Millennium Puzzle lay there, pinned to the table and completely shattered. No….

"I can't leave without the puzzle!" He snapped back to us.

He dashed over to the puzzle and I saw the twinge of pain as he grasped the chain. It must have been hot. I pulled away from the grip on me, adrenaline the only thing pumping through my veins now, and jumped over to Yugi, avoiding the burning logs as best I could. I tried to help Jounouchi and Yugi pull the chain free but it was stuck. "I've got to solve the puzzle right now!"

"You idiot!" Jounouchi snapped. "Are you nuts? We gotta get out of here or we'll burn to death!"

"I can't leave the Other Me behind! If this place burns down, the puzzle will be destroyed! I'll never see him again!"

I could tell that everyone wanted to argue, plead with Yugi to get out and save himself, but no one could get a word out. Yugi went to sit in a chair, gathering the small golden pieces into one spot. "Please… All of you… Let me stay here and make the puzzle. Let me see him one last time!"

One last time….? I didn't like the sound of that and neither did Jounouchi. The blond grabbed Yugi by his shirt, pulling the boy right into his face.

"What do you mean 'one last time'?!" Jounouchi shouted. "Yugi, nothing will come out of you dying! Don't be a moron!"

Yugi tore himself away from Jounouchi's grip, stepping quickly back to the puzzle.

"Please! Let me solve the puzzle! L-leave me alone!"

There was nothing that was going to change Yugi's mind, I knew that. Grandpa and Anzu tried again to convince him to go to safety but I saw the desperation in Yugi's eyes. I knew the look. Jounouchi knew it as well and finally gave in.

"Everybody, get outta here! You guys will be in danger if you stay!"

Honda went to argue but I beat him too it.

"Nothing will change his mind, he's staying with the Puzzle." I gave a pointed look to Jounouchi. "You'll get him out of here, right?"

Jounouchi nodded and some sense of relief fell over me.

"Take care of him, Jounouchi." Honda eventually said. "I want to see both of you come back alive!"

Jounouchi nodded once more. I turned to leave with everyone else but a golden glint caught my attention. I carefully moved a piece of debris and saw the center piece of the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi's gonna need this.

"Yugi?" I stepped over to him, careful not to mess with his work.

"You need to go, Christine." He snapped at me. "The Other Me and I wouldn't forgive ourselves if you were hurt. I know how much you're scared of fire."

I smiled, glad to hear that Yugi was still concerned about my safety.

"I know, I know." I relented, placing the golden piece next to the chain. "I was just dropping this off. I figured you'd might need it."

I didn't hear Yugi respond, if he even did, as that was when I bolted out of the room, giving Jounouchi one last pointed look as I passed him, before rushing out the door. I was greeted outside by firefighters who immediately pulled me behind their protective lines and handed me to a set of medics who checked me over for any burns. My fingers had to be bandaged slightly, I had singed myself, probably from picking up the piece of debris hiding the puzzle piece and yanking on the metal chain, but nothing too scary. I was grateful for the fresh air and help but my eyes were still trained on the burning building.

"Have faith, child." One of the medics whispered to me. "I know that your friends will make it out safely."

I gave a light chuckle into the air mask before pulling it away, leveling him with the same pointed gaze I gave Jounouchi.

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

The medic looked back to me from his position. He was holding little bottles of salves that I recognized from my shelves back at the shop. He was like me…

"Because I know that our great Queen would not allow two young men to die like this."

The medic then walked toward the line where he would probably wait to see if anyone else needed any treatment.

Our great Queen, huh? If she was so great, why would she let my friends get caught up in all of this… Why would she allow so much hurt to accumulate to require the need for revenge against Yugi and his Grandpa?!

"Christine?" A soft voice called, shaking me out of my anger.

I turned my head to see Ryuji. His eyes were locked on mine, a serious expression on his face. Though, in his hand was a security blanket. He held it out to me, offering it to me. With my hands, though….

"I can't hold onto it." I simply said.

"Oh…" Ryuji took a deep breath. "Then, let me."

He settled it on my shoulders then moved to sit next to me. Ryuji then quickly cut to the chase of his little visit. "I'm sorry for all of this. I was blinded by my father's need for revenge and didn't see the truth. I know my words won't change anything but-"

I quickly flicked him in the forehead, ignoring the sting of the singes on my fingers. "OW! What was that for?!"

"My revenge."

Ryuji's eyes widened. "While I may be mad at you for practically kidnapping Yugi, smashing his most precious possession…" Ryuji's expression fell with each word I said. "I think I can forgive you for trying to save him." The smile came back. "Though, if you do that again, you'll learn the hard way why Jounouchi can be frightened of me."

Ryuji nodded his head fearfully and I finally cracked a smile. Once I was cleared by the medical staff, the two of us migrated over to where Anzu and Honda were waiting and once the call had gone out that the building was going to collapse, a shape appeared out of the flames.

"Jounouchi!" We cried as we ran over.

The blond was a bit singed here and there but nothing too bad. Cradled in his arms though was an unconscious Yugi. He had taken the brunt of the burns but the chain of the Millennium Puzzle was clenched in his hands. I slid a hand across his cheek, careful about touching his burns with my – often cold – hands. Tears finally escaped my eyes but no sobs came; there was a quiet reverie that I couldn't disturb.

"He built the puzzle while the building was burning around him." Jounouchi told us. "He held onto it the whole time. He wouldn't let go of the chains…"

Chains… Even if the chains burnt him, Yugi never let go. It was his friendship with Yami. Yugi would never leave him to burn.

 **Hopefully you all enjoyed! I'm almost done with the Pandora/Arkana duel now and hope to be done with it soon. Marik is a little jerk again and I'm looking forward to having him appear...**

 **See ya'll soon!**

 **RobynHood3**


	2. The Tablet of the Pharaoh's Memories

**Hey peoples! Back with another chapter! Spring Semester has started and I'm not looking forward to all the papers I have to write. *Sigh*Anyway, I hope everyone had a good break and are doing well at work/school/etc.**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own Christine, my OC.***

Grandpa and I stayed with Yugi that first night in the hospital. They put him on fresh oxygen and treated his burns carefully. He stayed fast asleep for most of it until he woke up when the nurse touched a particularly painful burn.

"Careful." I whimpered out.

Grandpa patted my arm, hoping it would calm me down. He kept me in place until most of the nurses left and we were allowed inside. I popped to Yugi's side and saw that his eyes were slightly glassy.

"Christine?" He asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Hey, tough guy." I replied with a ruffle of his hair. "You ok?"

Yugi didn't reply, keeping to nodding his head. "We were really worried about you, you know? I'm glad you and Jounouchi made it out ok."

"I'm sorry to worry you. I just couldn't…"

I held up a hand, stopping Yugi's hoarse words. I didn't need to hear the words again.

"I know. I think Yami is very proud of how brave you were."

That made Yugi smile. I smiled back, giving him one last hair ruffle. "You should get to sleep. You had a long day." Yugi nodded his head, trying to hide a yawn behind his hand. He must have been exhausted.

I pulled up one of the chairs to the bed, situating myself so that I could be comfortable. I made a face when I realized that I had forgotten to grab one of the blankets from the other side of the room. Yugi gave me a confused expression.

"Are you and Grandpa staying?" He asked.

I nodded before walking over to where the nurses had left the extra blankets. I picked one of them up and made my way back over to Yugi's side.

"Grandpa's calling school to let me go for tomorrow then I go back the next. I just want to make sure that you're ok and all that jazz."

"Such a mom-like reaction." Yugi gave a Yami-like tease and I scoffed like I normally would.

"Ha-ha. You'll probably be in here for a few days. Someone's gotta keep an eye on you two to make sure that you don't cause any trouble for the hospital staff."

Yugi laughed which only led to a cough. "All right. Enough fun, bed you." Yugi didn't argue. He settled himself into bed and closed his eyes. I noticed that when I was settled myself, Yugi was already fast asleep. I chuckled and settled in myself.

I only woke once and that was at about 4:30 in the morning. I knew that because I was facing the digital clock on the nightstand when I woke up. The thing that woke me up was the gentle tug of someone running fingers through my hair. Who would be doing this at this ungodly hour. "Hm?" I asked using the noise instead of words.

A deep chuckle was my response and I knew who it was. "Yami, it's 4:30 in the morning. What are you doing up?"

"Yugi moved and the pain from one of the burns woke him up." Yami replied smoothly and I was shocked into a more awake state.

I hopped up out of the chair to look Yami in the eye; his hand had fallen to the bed from the force of my movement.

"Oh gosh!" I gasped. "Do you need me to call a nurse?!"

I fidgeted with the burns that I could see on his face, being careful myself. I almost didn't wait for his answer and was nearly about to jump fully out of my chair when Yami gave another chuckle. I froze in my tracks and gave the spirit an annoyed expression. "This isn't funny, Yami. Yugi was in a powerful blaze that could have killed the both of you…!"

"And yet you jumped in as well." Yami interrupted.

He got me there… I huffed, plopping back into the chair. "I'm proud that you managed to fight through your fear like that for Yugi's sake."

"I was running on pure adrenaline." I brushed off the compliment but my cheeks still became a bright pink. "I was actually terrified out of my skin."

"Well, you hid it very well."

"How could you tell?" I asked teasingly. "You were shattered across the table."

I was bopped on the head for the remark but I did notice the slight twinge of pain from the movement. "Sorry." I apologized, grabbing the arm that hit me and carefully tried to soothe the burns. "Do you need me to call a nurse?"

"No, it's fine. Yugi called one earlier and she handled most of the pain. I'm surprised you slept through it, she was very loud."

I gave a soft laugh, letting go of his arm. I was a heavy sleeper and Yami knew that from his multiple attempts to wake me up in the morning when Yugi couldn't.

I settled my head back onto my arms like I had fallen asleep and after a minute, Yami's fingers returned to my hair. It was a comforting motion and I could feel myself begin to fall asleep once more. My words returned to my thoughts and a blush of shame hit me. I must have sounded so mean… I forced my eyes open once more to say more.

"I'm also sorry for the comment. It was uncalled for."

The fingers stopped for a moment, like Yami was surprised at my words. It was only a momentary stop before Yami began the motions again.

"It's all right. It's essentially the truth."

"But it was rude on my part. I'm-"

My hair was ruffled fondly before I could finish my apology and I made a noise of annoyance in response. Yami said nothing until I had fixed my hair and flopped my head back onto my arms.

"It's fine, Christine. You meant it as a jest and I understand that. Don't worry about it."

That settled me for the moment and was happy when Yami returned to brushing through my hair.

"How did you know I liked this?" I asked.

Yami made a sound that I equated with 'I don't know'.

"You never argue when Anzu does this so I figured that you liked it."

I relaxed further into the motions, hearing Yami laugh slightly. Over the past year, Anzu did end up learning that I loved having my hair brushed. I didn't doubt that Yugi had seen the multiple instances where I was collapsed on Anzu's lap as she ran her fingers through my hair; both boys probably made a note of it somewhere.

"My mom used to do this this whenever I was upset. I guess after years, I just ended up liking it regardless of emotion."

Yami was silent for a moment.

"You don't talk about where you came from very much." He pointed out.

I moved my head to look up at the spirit. I hadn't noticed that he had turned his body so that he could look at me without moving his neck, laying on his side. There was also a twinge in his eyes that I couldn't place.

"It's hard to call a place I haven't lived in for over a year my home." I replied. "Domino City is my home now."

"And yet you still remember."

"Well, of course. I remember everything."

That reminded me of Yami's lack of memories. He had no memories in which to reminisce like I did. It made me sad for him. "Can I share some with you?" The spirit didn't reply, only nodding his head.

He may have done it to entertain me but it did seem like he had a good time laughing at all the antics my friend and I got ourselves into. I told him about my parents, my best friend Meg and everything in between. We would have gone on until the sun rose but Yami had returned to running his fingers through my hair, causing me to fall asleep an hour into talking.

Yugi's first day in the hospital went well, the nurses beginning the process of healing his various burns and injuries. Once visiting hours were over, Grandpa came to take me home. I didn't want to leave Yugi alone but the boy bade me to go. An excuse for him was to get me to bring him his school work so that he wouldn't be far behind. I reluctantly agreed and bade him farewell.

Two days later, the rest of the gang and I all came to visit him after school let out. Jounouchi, who thankfully wasn't too badly burned, got his bandages changed and sat on Yugi's bed as the two played Duel Monsters. As usual, Yugi was creaming him every time.

"Yes!" Yugi cheered. "I beat Jounouchi again!"

"Like it is that hard." I teased and the blond gave me a dirty look, to which I only laughed.

"How many times does this make, Jounouchi?" Bakura asked, a bright smile on his face.

Jounouchi huffed before letting his head fall into his hand.

"Why is my luck so bad?!" He huffed. "Why can't I draw the right cards?!"

Anzu sniggered before she spoke.

"It's not the luck of the draw, Jounouchi." She told him. "It's a difference in skill!"

"What're you trying to say, Anzu?!"

There was more laughter, so much so that my face began to hurt from smiling so much. Jounouchi didn't seem too chuffed; he only turned back to Yugi. "All right, Yugi! One more time!"

"You're on!" Yugi replied.

"Hey, c'mon!" Anzu tried to argue when they began another duel. "That's enough, Jounouchi. Yugi's in the hospital for a reason! He's supposed to be resting!"

"No, I'm fine! Honest!"

"Let them play, Anzu!" Honda intervened. "Yugi'll forget about the pain if he's playing a game!"

"I already stopped him from wandering the hospital when he was bored." I told her. "He's probably bored out of his mind here."

With my words, Yugi leveled me with a dirty look. I shrugged back. "Hey, we don't want a repeat of the first night here; you woke up when you flipped over, remember?" Yugi huffed at me and returned to his duel.

It wasn't long before Jounouchi lost again.

"I lost again!" He shrieked. "I tell you it's bad luck!"

"Speaking of luck, Jounouchi." Anzu began. "You're lucky you got out of that with only minor burns! You really are thick-skinned!"

I nodded my head to the words. It was a miracle that he made it out so well intact even though he was in the blaze the same amount of time.

"Jounouchi, you're using the same deck you used on Pegasus' island, right?" Yugi asked, almost ignoring Anzu's words to his friend.

"Yeah…" Jounouchi nodded his head. "I beat some strong enemies with this deck! I think I'm gonna keep it the same for a while!"

Yugi's expression suddenly morphed into an embarrassed smile.

"You should assemble a new one soon… I have a strategy to beat it…"

"What?! You do?!"

Bakura and I burst into laughter at the exclamation. Honda sighed.

"Yugi…" He breathed. "Just pretend you don't have one. Jounouchi's the kind of guy who goes through life clinging to past glories."

"Shut up! You don't even know how to play!"

Jounouchi gave one last glare to Honda then turned back to Yugi. "Did you put together a new deck, Yugi?" The boy nodded his head.

"Uh huh!" Yugi chirped. "I left my best monsters and replaced the rest of the cards! In collectable cards games, you've always got to keep updating and refining your strategy."

Yugi picked up the deck he was playing with, a new bright smile on his face. "I built a new deck with the other me these past three days in the hospital! It's super strong!"

"You two took out my favorite cards, though!" I playfully argued, knowing exactly what Yugi was going to counter with.

Sure enough, Yugi snapped his head toward me and I could faintly see the flash of crimson in his eyes.

"Yeah, but we gave them to you!"

I snickered loudly, a Mutley-like laugh. Yugi knew I liked some of the cards he had taken out of his deck so he had given them to me. I made sure to show my appreciation with a tight hug and a warm burger from a joint down the road; Yugi's bright smile made it worth it. Anzu interrupted before the snippet went on any longer.

"How's the other Yugi doing anyway?" She asked.

That got Yugi's attention and the smile back onto his face. He turned to face Anzu.

"He's doing great!"

I saw that Anzu noticed the way Yugi was holding onto the Millennium Puzzle. He had been clutching onto it more than he used to.

"Yugi… That night when you built the puzzle in the raging fire… The first time you solved the puzzle, you told me you made a wish. What did you wish for this time?"

"Ha, no way!" Jounouchi butted in. "I didn't know that! Like winning the lotto? I wanna know what your first wish was too!"

Yugi's cheeks turned a light pink, quickly waving his hands over his chest.

"Wha-?!" He gasped. "I can't say it! It's embarrassing!"

The blush faded and Yugi's face morphed into a soft smile. "Sorry… That is absolutely top secret." Yugi took hold of the puzzle once more. "I was so desperate that night. I didn't think about making a wish or anything like that. But the whole time I was putting it together, I was thinking "I want to see the other me…" Now that I look back at it… Maybe that was my wish. But it's strange… It took me eight years to build the puzzle the first time… This time it only took me a few minutes. It's like the puzzle built itself…"

"So your wish came true again!" Anzu simply said.

Yugi and the rest of us turned to Anzu, obvious confusion in many of our eyes. "The puzzle must have sensed that you wanted to see the other you. If the Millennium puzzle had a mind, I know it would want to see you, Yugi." It took a moment before I looked back to Yugi and I saw a soft smile spread across his face again.

"Yeah…"

Anzu didn't stay happy at her own words for very long. She shot me a worried look, one I didn't understand. I tilted my head in confusion but the girl didn't say anything. She stood up, an unconvincing smile on her face.

"I'll go buy some drinks! What does everybody want?"

"I'll have a cola!"

"Can you get me green tea?" Jounouchi cried as well.

"Make it a double!" I cried as well.

"Alright alright!" Anzu waved her hand as she walked out the door.

I watched the door like a hawk. There was something that hit Anzu that I haven't thought of yet. Though what was it? I spent at least a few minutes continuing to stare at the door, even as Yugi and Jounouchi began to pick apart at the blond's deck to find its weaknesses. One of the older men that shared Yugi's hospital room spoke and I found myself again.

"Hey, you over there…" He called to get Yugi's attention and we all turned to look at him.

"Me…?!" Yugi jumped to reply and I suddenly thought that he was nervous he was making too much noise.

"Well… It's not that big a deal but… I saw that thing you wear, the pendant with an eye. And then I saw this ad in the paper." The older man shuffled through his paper quickly, bringing up the said ad. "Here."

Jounouchi, Bakura and I leaned onto the bed to get a better look at the ad. The moment I looked at it, my heart gave a clench. The ad was dominated with an image of three camels approaching the pyramids at the Giza Plateau, which seemed silly because Cairo butted extremely close to the pyramids – so close, I'd heard, that if you turned around from one of the pyramids you'd see a Pizza Hut down the way – and the image of a woman; a woman I knew for some reason. I tried to tell myself that it was only because I had read and seen all of this before, it was déjà vu, but… For some other reason, I knew her. I looked to see her name and was greeted with 'Ishizu Ishtar, Secretary General, Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.' Fancy title, I thought. Underneath the picture were the words 'The Beauty of a Dynasty. On display at Domino City Museum.'

Yugi was more entranced with the necklace the woman, Ishizu, wore around her neck.

"Yugi!" Bakura gasped. "You don't think…!"

Yugi didn't reply but I figured he agreed with Bakura's thoughts.

"I guess there's gonna be an ancient Egyptian exhibit at the Domino City Museum." The older man continued, almost ignoring Bakura's words. "That gal was sent from the Egyptian government to be in charge. Pretty good-lookin' too!"

Yugi didn't take his eyes away from the image just yet. Something big was coming.

I got up early that next Sunday, mentally running through the list of errands that I had to run today. I had to go to the witch shop to buy more incenses since Yugi and the gang had liked to steal them for their own uses, then I had to pop by pharmacies to grab other medicines for allergies and colds for when it was needed as, yet again, the gang liked to steal them from the shop. I also had to do quick drop offs for grandpa so that he didn't have to carry the large and heavy packages around town.

On my way out the door, I passed by Yugi's room and heard the clinking of belts and buckles. I regretted not agreeing to his favor but these errands were important and needed to be done. He'd been home from the hospital for about two days – the gang, now including Ryuji, and me had checked him out so he could return to school - and yesterday he had asked me for an important favor.

We were sitting in class when a note popped onto my desk. Quickly and quietly, I opened it up to see Yugi's quick script.

' _Do you think you can help me with something? The other me hasn't been feeling well and he won't tell me what's wrong. I was wondering if you could hang out with him and cheer him up; he is always happy around you.'_

I remembered smiling at the words but I had to write back my apology.

 _'I would love to, Yugi, but I can't. I'm running errands for Grandpa and picking up other things for the shop. I'm really sorry.'_

Just as I was about to hand it back, an idea hit me. _'Why don't you ask Anzu? I'm sure she'd love to help!'_

I popped the note back to the boy and noticed his shoulders drop. I gave a sad smile before turning back to our teacher. He must have asked Anzu and was getting ready to see her. I shook off any jealous thoughts before they manifested as I grabbed the bag of small packages and walked out the door.

It took a few hours to drop off all the packages but the smiling faces made it all worth it. With remarkable speed, I did my errands at the pharmacy but took my time in getting to my other store.

The door jingled as I entered the shop. It was a bright, beautiful shop, windows at the top of the ceiling, called clerestory, making sure that all the walls were able to show off products. Incense burned in the corner, making sure that the only scent that permeated the room was roses and not the strange smell of wax from other products they sold. I grabbed a few dozen sticks of incense, all of them about 50 yen a piece, and making sure they did exactly what I wanted them to do. Once I had all the ones I wanted and needed, I approached the counter and Kokona, with her newly curled and dyed black-purple hair, who stood at the counter.

"New hair?" I asked, placing the multitude of sticks onto the counter.

She gave a bright smile, gathering up my purchase and handling it.

"School can't argue 'cause it only looks purple in the sun!" She giggled.

"You are asking for a beating from your parents."

She shrugged as I handed her the yen bills to pay.

"Whatever!" Her expression read 'whatever' as she bagged up my incense. "They're never home anyway!"

I gave her a look but she didn't take back any of her words. Kokona was a witch who controlled air, but she had to hide it from her parents, who had no idea the circle even existed. She handed me back small back, which I put into the basket I was carrying, the same one I had when I arrived in this world. Kokona gave me one last smile before I turned away. "May the queen watch over you." I only froze for a second, my thoughts from the fire returning, before returning the words.

"Yeah." I replied on instinct. "You too."

I quickly left the shop and as I walked, allowed my mind to filter through a few thoughts. Queen this, queen that… I didn't remember this much emphasis on the queen in the circle back home. There was even Lycaon from last year who mentioned her. What was so different here that she became so much more important? Sure, back home we had our own little remembrance rituals but… nothing this extravagant. I gave heaving sigh.

Suddenly, a pair of hands cover my eyes and I am forced to stop. I lifted my hands, after adjusting my basket to the crook of my elbow, to place them over the hands, hoping to find the identity of the person that way. The only thing I could identify was a plethora of bracelets. "What the….?"

"Guess who?" The chuckle at the end of the question gave it away and the panic immediately dissipates from my body.

I give a laugh and smile.

"Hi, Yami."

The chuckle reverberates again and my eyes were freed. After blinking to adjust to the light, I turned around to see a smiling Yami and a laughing Anzu. "Nice to see you, strangers. How've ya been?"

"Pretty good." Anzu replied. "Going here and there around town. We found a card shop not far from here."

That immediately made Yami perk up and pull out a card from his pocket.

"Look at this!" He exclaimed jumping so I could see the card. "I was going to show it to Yugi later."

I read it quickly and was barely able to comprehend the words before Anzu spoke up again.

"It was the happiest I'd seen him all day." She deadpanned.

I laughed, elbowing Yami in the side as he put his new card away.

"You're so mean." I teased.

He had the decency to look embarrassed but he still gave a smile.

"I had fun, though!" He told me. "Anzu completely creamed this guy at the arcade earlier."

"Yas, girlfriend!" I cheered as I high-fived her. "Nice job!"

Anzu beamed in pride. I brought the conversation to a thought that had just come to me. "Where are you two headed now?"

"Somewhere Yugi wanted to go. Wanna come with?" Anzu asked.

"Sure."

"You done with your errands?" Yami asked.

I nodded with a smile.

"I just picked up my last thing and was headed home but I think I can make a pitstop with you guys, if you'll let me."

Neither Yami or Anzu argued against me coming along so the three of us began our walk further into town. I stood in the middle of us, Anzu on one side with Yami on the other. While Anzu and I chatted girlishly, I faintly noticed that Yami had taken my hand into his. There was a slight air nervousness around the gesture and I tightened my grip on his hand, hoping to be some sort of comfort for him.

After a 20-minute walk, we arrived at the bottom steps of the Domino City Museum. I remembered one of the last times the gang and I stood at the entrance to this museum; it was right before Shadi arrived on the scene. Anzu looked like she remembered it as well, her eyes almost far off in remembrance.

"A clue to my past in in here…" Yami said, knocking the both of us out of our reverie. "I had to come here but a part of me resisted that; I was afraid to find out."

Yami gave a smile to Anzu. "But after seeing you today, I made up my mind."

"Then let's go before he loses his nerve." I teased and was quickly reprimanded for the tease with a bop on the head.

Anzu gave a laugh at the playful and unapologetic expression on my face and the three of us walked up the stairs and into the museum.

I had to admit, this exhibit was gorgeous! Each artifact was placed perfectly with objects that corresponded correctly with others around it, nothing made anything stand out too strongly. I made sure that we took our time walking through the museum, taking in each little part of the exhibit. Yami didn't argue, he kept his eyes wandering from piece to piece, like he was hoping that something of his past would pop out and everything would be made clear.

I had wandered a bit on my own when my eye caught something familiar. I approached it curiously and when I recognized it, a bright smile shot across my face. I hadn't seen one of these things since before I came here! I didn't even look at the label before turning away and toward my boyfriend. "Yami!" I whispered loudly. When the spirit didn't look at me - he was too busy looking at the label of an image taken from a tomb wall - I rushed over to grab his hand. "Come over here!"

"Christine!" He snapped back. "What are you doing?"

"Showing you something!"

Yami made a short huff but was silenced when I brought him to the artifact I wanted to show him. Excitedly looking back between him and the piece, I saw that he was staring at, his eyes looking over the hieroglyphics like he was reading them.

"What is this?" He asked, his voice awfully soft.

"A Stele."

Yami turned his eyes to look at me, an almost annoyed expression on his face.

"I got that much, dingus. What's so important about it?"

I gave a bright smile and from the change in Yami's expression, I could tell he was questioning if he should take back the question.

"It's a Stele like some I've seen from home! The circle there was able to visit the thing every year for a special ceremony."

The expression softened to curiosity.

"So, it's related to something of the witches?"

I nodded.

"They were really rare back home, maybe only one or two. I wonder if it's the same here."

Yami leaned over to look over the label. I didn't have a chance to read over his shoulder as he popped back up straight after a few moments.

"Based on this thing, there are at least a few dozen of them out there. Some still where they were placed at least 3000 years ago."

"Neat!"

Yami and I looked over the stele once more. It was a large upright stone slab covered in hieroglyphics and images. As much as I would have loved to have been able to read them, I was unable to decipher what the little symbols were saying. There was only one image, smack dab right in the middle of the stone, that truly made the entire thing clear to someone like me.

"Why was this thing so important to you all?" Yami asked.

Without a word, I pointed to the image that I knew so well, for many different reasons. It was a large snowflake, a strange image for something that came from a desert country, but it was there all the same. I didn't need to say anything as Yami's jaw drop made it clear he knew. "Do I dare ask if…."

I lifted my hands, careful so that no one sees what I'm doing, and called forth the snowflake symbol that has been with me for as long as I can remember. It was the exact shape of the one on the stone.

"The symbol of the Queen. It was because of her influence that people like me congregate in the circles out in the open instead of underground like we used to. She's almost a goddess to us."

"Did anyone know?"

"Only my best friend, Meg." I replied, moving my hands back to my sides, feeling the snowflake melt in my hand. "I was too freaked out the first time I saw that thing to even think about telling anybody else, let alone my mother."

I looked back up to the snowflake once more. "Coincidence or not, it's always been the one thing that I've never understood."

Yami quickly took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I returned the pressure, forcing the thoughts out of my mind. I turned back to Yami, attempting a smile. "Come on, let's keep looking around." Yami didn't say anything but he allowed me to pull him away from the stele and back into the heart of the exhibit.

The three of us walked around for a little while longer before Yami stopped at a large stone. He stopped rather suddenly so I was forced to bump into him slightly. He stared so seriously at the stone that he didn't even hear my huff of annoyance. Anzu and I shared a look before we looked at the object as well.

The stone was dominated with large hieroglyphics that told of an apparent battle between two men. The one on the far side wore impressive robes and held what looked to be a rod. My mind immediately pictured Kaiba as this figure from the image of what looked like a Blue Eyes was flying above him. The one opposite him…. I stared at the figure for a second, flicking my head between him and my boyfriend. Before I opened my mouth – and most likely sounding like an idiot in the process –, I looked over the identification card to see what the stone was 'talking' about.

 _'Tablet found at 18_ _th_ _Dynasty Mortuary Temple for unnamed Pharaoh._

 _Based on research from the temple area, this tablet tells the tale of a battle between a young Pharaoh and a priest, each wielding their most trusted monsters: The Pharaoh with the 'Dark Magician' and the priest with the 'White Dragon'. The name of the Pharaoh had originally been placed in the cartouche underneath his feet but was defaced, most likely not long after carving was finished. The bottom most hieroglyphics say that the Pharaoh, after this battle, had his soul sealed within the Millennium Puzzle, which was hidden away soon after.'_

I stared at the word 'defaced' for longer than what seemed necessary. I ran though memories of old home for a moment, trying to think about why that would bother me. It hit me after a second. "Why would they take off his name?" I asked aloud.

"What'd you say?" Anzu asked in response.

"I'm being a nerd wondering about this but… The name." I pointed to the defaced cartouche. "From what I remember from books, the names of Egyptians kings - and people in general - were kinda important."

I gave a thinking hum. "The only other king I know that had his name deliberately removed after his death was…" I thought about it for another moment, trying to remember his name. "Akhenaten? I think? Yeah, that's it!" I looked at the info card again, reading the potential dates and sneaking a glance at the program that I had grabbed from the entrance of the museum. "Wow, same Dynasty too. Probably way earlier than him."

"Why'd they take his name off?"

I gave Anzu a blank look. The girl only raised an eyebrow.

"Not a lot of people liked him. He's called the 'Heretic King' for a reason."

That made Anzu's eyes widen while I nodded. "They also did it to Hatshepsut but that was for a different reason, completely political and all that. It's pretty freaky. But still…" I looked at the cartouche once more. "From Funerary practices that I remember reading about, the name was one of the pieces of the funeral ceremony that was important."

"Oh?"

"To make sure that the soul, or at least the part of the soul that lived in the tomb, survived, tomb makers had all these different little pieces to make sure the…. 'machine' I guess would be the best word for it, would work: statues, figures, so on and so forth. The name was one of those little pieces. The soul would be able to enter that object, take the offerings given and be able to move around the tomb." I looked to the figure of the Pharaoh on the tablet once more. "If I had to guess, this is the only thing that survives of this Pharaoh."

"The Pharaoh's soul isn't in his tomb, though." Yami's voice was quiet. "It was sealed in the Millennium Puzzle for three thousand years."

Anzu and I both turned to look at him. The crimson eyes that I have come to know with only a glance were narrowed at the stone tablet. "The soul of the lost king of ancient Egypt, trapped in the Millennium Puzzle for thousands of years… **That** is who I am." Yami then gave a laugh. "After all this time, it's no wonder I've forgotten everything!"

I considered making a joke about the possibility of him being an old man but I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to ruin the moment. While Yami continued to look at the figures, I noticed that Anzu gave a worried glance in his direction. Was she worried about what Yugi would think when he found out about this? I considered the thought as well and agreed that Yugi might be hurt at the prospect that Yami might leave him.

There was the padding of sandals behind us and all three of us turned around to see who it was. Standing behind us was the woman from the photo in the paper, Ishizu Ishtar.

"We've been waiting for you, Yugi…" Of course, the stereotypical psychic line is the first thing out of her mouth.

"Who are you?" Yami replied smoothly, though the air of a threat was noticeable.

The same feeling from the hospital rushed through my chest once more; my heart squeezing so tight that I thought it would burst. I returned my hand to Yami's and the spirit, even though he was watching Ishizu, returned the amount of pressure. The woman didn't fail to notice the movement and she looked at my face. I wasn't a master of body language but I did see the twinge in her expression, something akin to familiarity. She knew me… But if she did, she said nothing. She returned her gaze to Yami.

"I am Ishizu Ishtar… For a thousand years, I have protected a piece of the Pharaoh's memories."

She gestured to the golden necklace around her neck. It had the same design as Puzzle, Ring and Eye so there was no doubt that this was another of the Millennium Items. "The Millennium Necklace grants the power to see into the near future. I knew you would visit and I knew a great battle will soon be waged in this town. I can see it."

Yami flinched, his face becoming a worried expression. "Yes… You came here yourself; you chose your fate, a fate of fighting. To regain your memory, Yugi, you must gather all seven Millennium Items."

"Tell me one thing first." Yami quickly interrupted. "You have a Millennium Item… Are you my enemy?!"

The words woke me from my confusion at Ishizu's glance so I could rebuke Yami for the tone.

"Yami!" I snapped quietly.

The spirit said nothing, only tightening his grip on my fingers. Great, overprotective as usual.

"Some Millennium Items have an evil intelligence inside them," The woman didn't seem to have been offended by Yami's words, her voice still calm and serene, "but my Millennium Item is no enemy of yours."

Yami didn't reply to the words but Ishizu kept going. "The enemy who will soon appear before you… he is the one who possesses the last Millennium Item." That got Yami's attention but before he could speak, Ishizu began to turn away. "And that battle, will be one to regain your memory."

To my confusion once more, Ishizu gave another glance at me, an almost hopeful one. I tilted my head, trying to show my confusion. The woman said nothing, turning fully around and out of the room. My eyes followed her; yep, she definitely knew something.

With that, we decided to end our visit to the Museum and were walking down the stairs toward the entry courtyard. It was quiet the entire walk but as soon as we reached a spot where we wouldn't bother anyone, Yami began to speak.

"Anzu, Christine?" He began with his soft question. "My partner doesn't know I came here today… Can you two keep a secret? Don't tell him about Ishizu… or about the stone tablet."

Anzu and I exchanged glances. Was this a good idea? I didn't like it for sure. I was already hiding so much from everyone except Yami, I was worried about what they would think if that came to light. Anzu spoke first.

"Sure…" She replied.

Yami then looked at me, an almost Yugi puppy dog look on his face. I cursed. Where did he learn how to do that?! I gave a sigh.

"As much as I don't like it, fine." I huffed. "You have my word. Though don't blame me if he finds out on his own; he's smart."

Yami gave a smile but faded quickly.

"He knows what it means if I regain my memory." Yami said, almost to himself. "But… I don't think he can accept that yet…"

"There will come a time when he will…" Anzu said with a smile, possibly trying to lighten the mood. "Yugi's a tough kid."

Yami, almost determined to keep the mood dour, pulled his dueling deck of its case. Does he carry this around with him everywhere? I didn't even want to think about that.

"He and I built this deck together; half of it is the fruits of his soul! If I keep secrets from him… these cards won't trust me either! When he understands who I am, this deck will display its true power."

After that, Yami placed the deck back into its case but then he peeked over his shoulder. It was almost like he felt like it was being watched.

"What is it?" I asked.

I didn't hear Yami's voice reply; another voice though, did.

"Hey guys!" A familiar voice cried from behind us. "Yugi! Anzu! Christine, dear!"

We all turned around, surprised at the call of our names. Anzu and I burst into bright smiles at the face that greeted us.

"Mai!" Anzu and I both cheered.

Sure enough, the blonde woman hadn't changed a bit since the last time we had seen her. Her outfit still as revealing as usual but she had a bright smile on her face as waved and walked over to us.

"What's up?" She asked. "It's been a while! How've you been guys been?"

"We're fine!" Anzu chirped in reply. "How are you? You look good!"

Mai gave a flip of her hair, showing that she was perfectly content. She then got a very coy smile on her face. The woman quickly grabbed Anzu around the shoulders and spoke loud enough for Yami and I to hear.

"Ooh, Anzu! Is this what I think it is? Are you guys on a date?" She squealed in delight.

"What?!" Anzu shrieked in embarrassment. "No, nothing like that!"

"Oh?" She drawled out then sighed. "A friendly get together? It'd be much more fun if this were more a romantic atmosphere. Then what- "

Mai stopped short, her head having turned around fully to look back at Yami and me. I tiled my head in confusion. What was she looking at?

The pressure on my hand began to burn, like someone was staring at it.

Oh no….

My face immediately became a beet red. I attempted to pull my hand away from Yami's but his grip was tight and I could barely move an inch away.

"Umm…." I couldn't even get words out now. "Well…"

Thankfully, Yami was my knight in shining armor, deflecting the conversation away from our intertwined fingers.

"By the way, Mai." Yami spoke and Mai's head snapped to him. "What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" She made the sound while her own expression confused.

She stepped away from Anzu and closer to Yami and me. "Yugi… Didn't you get the info? Don't tell me you're just here by accident?!"

"Info?"

The confusion in Yami's voice made it clear that he had no idea what was going on.

"No way! It's really just a coincidence!"

Mai looked into the growing crowd. "Yugi, I'm sure you've felt it already…"

"Yes." Yami replied. "I can sense the presence of duelists."

Mai nodded her head.

"The people here are duelists from all over the country!"

"Dang…" I breathed out, looking through the crowd as well.

"A few days ago, this weird invitation – or more like a clue – was circulated in card magazines and online. **"Come to the place where the ancient duelists and their cards slumber in the stones…"** Plus a date and time… Now, today! They're supposed to announce a huge Duel Monsters tournament! It's Japan's biggest duelist gathering ever!"

Mai leaned over to point some of them out and I was surprised to recognize many of them. "Weevil Underwood, Rex Raptor, E.S.P duelist Esper Roba, and Mako Tsunami!"

"I see…" Yami spoke after another moment. "So that's why all these duelists are in town."

A car pulled up noisily and the doors opened with loud bangs. I peeked over my shoulder and my eyes widened at who stepped out. Yami then turned around, a shiver running through him like he was shocked.

Kaiba and Mokuba were standing at the curb, the younger carrying a large silver briefcase. Kaiba's wardrobe had updated into his signature white trench coat ensemble and he wore it well. His ice-cold eyes were locked on Yami and I knew the action was mutual from the spirit next to me. Mokuba waved at Anzu and me, which I returned with a smile.

"The rumor is, he spread the information…" Mai explained, not needing to say Kaiba's name.

Mokuba spoke to his brother quickly before Kaiba began to speak loud enough for everyone in the opening to hear.

"Listen carefully, duelists…" He began. "In this town, the day after tomorrow, a Duel Monsters tournament will begin!"

The duelists around the area began to cry with excitement. "There are two conditions to enter! #1 you must have a 40-card deck with at least one rare card! And #2 you must own this next generation Duel Disk!"

The mentioned disk was strapped to his arm by an excited Mokuba. It seemed like a light device, easy to carry, but still durable if you accidentally drop it. "All duels must be played with an ante. The loser must give the winner their rarest card! In other words, the champion will acquire the rarest cards out of everyone here!"

"Where will the tournament be held?!" A voice shouted from the crowd and the question only made Kaiba smile.

"The stage is all of Domino City! In two days' time, this town will become Battle City!"

Oh boy…. Here we go….

 **For anyone who asks, Christine is a bit of a nerd. When she is interested in something, she will research the heck out of it: context and such. That's how she knows about an array of Egyptian lore etc. Sorry if it makes her seem strange but to me, it put the story of the Pharaoh into the context and ideals of the society he lived in.**

 **See ya later! RobynHood3**


	3. Me, Myself and I

**Hai, guys! So, today's my birthday and I have decided to give you all a gift! This chapter was one of the hardest I've written yet because I didn't want to make it too cliche and all that jazz. I love how it all turned out and am happy to share it with you all!**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor any of the things I reference in this chapter. I only own Christine, my OC***

Jounouchi was completely furious when Yugi told the gang about what happened yesterday. I figured that he got the abridged version of the day from Yami but was still told everything that he would need to know. Even so, Yugi did sent me a furtive glance like he was looking to me for more answers. I kept my word to Yami and said nothing, explaining only what I was allowed to.

I blanked out for most of the conversation, only watching the changes in expression of my friends. Yugi was explaining everything that would be involved in the tournament such as the ante rule, which Jounouchi immediately paled at then grew a cocky smirk – most likely from the prospect of getting rare cards, and the fact that they needed to get Duel Disks.

I gave a quiet sigh as I leaned against the fence of the roof where we were congregating. The last thing on my mind right now was the tournament starting tomorrow. I kept seeing Ishizu Ishtar's glances at me, her hopeful expression before she left us. Why? Why did she look at me like that? What did she know about me? I kept my thoughts to myself, not wanting my runaway mouth to give away something that might tip off Yugi.

School let out a few hours later so Yugi and Jounouchi agreed to go get their Duel Disks from a shop in town since Grandpa's shop didn't sell them. I followed them for most of the way but my attention was diverted to the Domino Museum in the distance once we reached that part of town. I tried to ignore the thoughts racing through my head once more but they practically shouted at me.

"Hey…" I began softly. "I'll see you guys back at the shop."

Everyone stopped to turn around and look at me. "I just remembered something I needed to do so I'll run and do that quickly. I won't be too long but I'll meet you guys back at the shop."

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, do you want one of us to come with you?" Honda asked as well.

I gave a smile and a shake of my head.

"I'll be fine, I promise." I waved off the concern. "I'll see you all later."

I turned away and with one last wave, I walked down the street toward the museum. I knew no one would follow but I couldn't help but glance behind me when I was a few blocks away. It was a feeling like I was being watched by someone. I brushed it off and kept walking down the street.

The entrance to the museum was less crowded now than it was last night so getting in was no problem. My problem now was finding Ms. Ishtar. Every employee was busy talking to a patron and I didn't want to bother them.

I went further into the exhibit, most likely under the impression that she was hanging around deeper in waiting to answer questions, until I came face to face with the stele I knew from home. The snowflake stared down at me, almost taunting me, so I glared at it. "Well? Do you know something?" I huffed at it.

"If it did, I doubt it could say anything." A smooth voice replied to my question. "It is stone after all."

I shot my head toward the voice. Ishizu Ishtar stood a few steps away from me, the Millennium Necklace still tied around her neck. We stared at each other for a moment before she looked away, her gaze heading toward the ground. "I suspect you've come for answers."

"If you mean answers to why you kept glancing, then yeah."

Ishizu gave a sad laugh before reaching up to the tie of her Millennium Necklace. My eyes narrowed as she took it off and held it in her hands.

"The first time I held the Millennium Necklace, it showed me a vision. One that gave me both questions and answers."

The woman held out the necklace to me. "I'm sure that it would be willing to show you it as well. Perhaps it will give you the answers you seek."

I hesitated. The way she spoke about the necklace made it seem like it had its own will. Didn't she say that this item didn't have the same evil intelligence as the other items? I then thought that it had to be the same idea that the item chose who its wielders were and if the wrong person touched it, they could be killed. That was scary thought. I glanced at Ishizu and saw the confident gleam in her eyes; she knew something.

I set my bag down against the wall before reaching both hands out to take the priceless artifact. It sat there for a moment, the room still buzzing with the talk of the other patrons. I began to get a little worried when nothing happened but then the eye began to glow a bright white.

Within seconds, the room began to fade away into a gray haze, like I was passing out. Ishizu and the rest of the patrons melted into dark mist until I was in a room lit only by the flickering lights of torches.

"What the…?" I breathed out.

I looked around. Technicolor painted columns littered the space, all of them images of hieroglyphs and figures of men and women parading around the space. I looked up and was barely able to see the large capitals of the stone columns, the outline of them was the best I could manage. "Where am I?"

The padding of sandals interrupted my thoughts. I turned around to see a young girl, probably only 13, rushing down the corridor. She seemed to be in an awful hurry as she gasped for air. Her hair was pulled back in a headdress but her blue eyes immediately sent waves of nostalgia through me. The eyes made me recognize her as a possibly younger version of Ishizu. "Ishizu?" I called to her but the woman didn't turn, she simply kept running. "Wait!"

I ran after her. She ducked through the columns and into a small chapel at the far end of the building. Before she entered through, the girl stopped to catch her breath. "Hey! Where are we?" Again, I was ignored. Could it be that she can't hear me at all?

The woman entered the chapel and I followed after her, half ready to scream. The words died in my throat when I saw more people inside. An older woman and what I could tell was a child, but I wasn't sure because it was wrapped up in the dress it was clinging to. I ignored the kid for a minute and looked back to the older woman. She wore an elaborate headdress and around her neck… The same necklace I was holding in my hands. I made sure numerous times as I glanced up and down between the two objects.

"You called for me, mistress?" The Ishizu replica asked and I shivered. Even if she was younger, the voice was the same.

The older woman looked up from the child wrapped in her dress, fixing the girl with a look. The Ishizu look-alike kept her composure.

"You asked for more responsibilities, correct, Isis?" The woman asked.

The name sent a shiver down my spine but I couldn't dwell on it long as the two were still speaking.

"Yes, mistress."

The older woman looked back down to the child in her dress. There was silence for a moment before the woman looked back to Ishizu… Isis...

"I have decided to give you a charge."

The Ishizu look-alike, Isis, looked confused. A charge? Someone to look after?

"Mistress? I do not understand."

The older woman didn't reply immediately. She reached her hand down, patting the child on the head for a moment, before taking a small, pale hand. I narrowed my eyes until the child's face became visible.

I only knew it from pictures but the face on that little girl… was mine.

I… She looked around six but had long white blonde hair and the icy green eyes that greeted me in mirrors. She looked utterly frightened, clutching onto the older woman's hand. "A foreigner? Who…"

"She begged for her life." The older woman interrupted Isis. "Her words, broken as they are, brought forth a vision from the Millennium Necklace. Ma'at has designs for this child, I can sense it. I have already taken her to the Pharaoh and he has allowed to her live among us not as a servant. I want you to watch her, teach her. She is your responsibility."

Isis seemed taken aback. This was obviously not what she was expecting. I didn't dwell on her face, my eyes kept looking back to the little girl, mouthing under her breath. If I looked hard enough, it looked like she was mouthing words. 'Broken as they are'…. She was learning their language…

Isis took a deep breath, making my eyes return to her. Her expression became confident and she nodded her head.

"I will make you proud, mistress." She replied, not even a shake to her voice.

The older woman smiled.

"I know you will."

The mistress leaned down and spoke softly to… me… and I took the short steps toward Isis. The girl held out her hand and I watched as little me took it and began to cling like she did with the mistress. With a smile, Isis turned back to her mistress.

"Goodnight, mistress."

Without waiting, Isis gently walked with little me out of the chapel and back towards the main corridor. It was silent as they walked, the only sound being sandals rubbing against sand. I followed along behind, still amazed at the little me clinging to Isis' hand.

Once they were far enough away for Isis' liking, she stopped and kneeled to look at little me. "All right. My name…" She spoke slowly, like she knew little me had a hard time understanding. "Isis." Little me mouthed it for few seconds before speaking aloud.

"Isis." Little me replied, voice hoarse.

"Yes." Isis smiled brightly. "What's yours?"

Little me looked down to the sand. She was mouthing again, figuring out how to say it? After a moment, she looked back up to Isis.

"Iliana."

The name floored me. What? No way…

The vision faded just as Isis smiled again. I blinked and Ishizu's face greeted me. I was still on my feet but I felt a tear just as it streaked down my cheek. I hastily wiped it away, catching my breath. Why was I crying?

"What…" I managed. "What was…"

"The past." Ishizu answered without my finished question. "The Millennium Necklace does more than show the future."

I took a shaky breath, closing my eyes. I opened them and looked down to the Millennium Necklace still sitting quietly in my hands. My mind conjured the image of the mistress wearing this same necklace, comforting the little girl… little me…. clinging her dress.

The first thing that hit my mind then was denial. Pure denial.

"No…" I shook my head. "This can't be right…"

"Why not?" Ishizu asked softly. "Why can't it be true?"

My head lifted, a glare on my face.

"Do you know who that little girl is?" I snapped out. "Who she becomes? I'm guessing you already know what I am but to me, to people like me, she is practically a god! She can't look like me when I was six!"

I turned away, beginning to pace with the Millennium Necklace clenched in my hands. "I'm going crazy, obviously. Breathe, Christine, breathe." I took another breath, held it, then let it go. I did the action a number of times until I felt calm. I looked back to Ishizu, trying not to glare again. "Are you suggesting that, with your glances, you think she and I are the same?"

There was no hesitation in her answer.

"I know it."

"Prove it."

There was a small flash from where my hands were clenched and the room faded again. Ishizu, before she faded, seemed almost surprised. I blinked numerous times until the vision became clear.

The scenery was similar but very much different. It was day this time, light streamed through the clerestory windows. There was also more people as well; I could only guess that they were servants performing their daily tasks. Their voices were muffled as they whispered amongst themselves. One voice stuck out from an adjoining room.

"Lady Isis! Let me go!"

Holy crap… That was….

I walked toward the entrance and, after my eyes adjusted to the increase of natural light of the room thanks to the windows, was amazed at the sight. The 13-year-old girl had grown into a complete Ishizu look alike; her face was plastered with a sinister smile. The older woman was trying to tie something around a wiggling girl's neck. The girl… "Lady Isis! What would you think the court would say if they saw this?!"

It was the image of me from Pegasus' painting.

The same linen dress being held up by the golden off the shoulder sleeves and the blue scarab brooch. The blue accent that was supposed to hang in front of her dress was flipping from the force of her attempt at wiggling away from Isis. My white blonde hair fell into my face but I didn't even need to see the eye color to know it was the same. If this was the same little girl I had seen barely five minutes ago, she about 10 years older now.

"I'm sure they'd be completely fine with it!" Isis giggled back. "I was your mistress for over a decade! And besides, you're the prince's bride!"

"Yes…" The copy of me shot back, "but what you are trying to wrap around my neck is an object that is important to Ma'at! Not something that should be wrapped around my throat!"

"Well well, I didn't know you were into that, Mereret." A new voice shot into the conversation from right next to me.

I jumped out of my skin at the suddenness. I didn't even hear this guy coming! Turning to back away, I looked up to see who it was and my jaw dropped.

"Yami?" I breathed.

The look alike didn't reply, keeping the cocky smirk on his face.

Well, if it was Yami, he suddenly got a tan and probably had six pack abs hiding underneath his linen tunic. Holy shit, the girlish part of my mind screamed.

"Shush you!" The copy me snapped and the tanned Yami burst into laughter.

"I'm just saying!" He said through chuckles. "I had no idea that my dear Mereret was in to that kind of thing."

The copy me blushed brightly, setting off the laughter once more. Was it the name that set it off? Mereret? I didn't know what it meant but was it a pet name?

Laughing as well, Isis moved away from the copy me, who gathered herself with a deep breath. Isis then stood up and gave a small bow.

"Well, I should return to my duties." Isis said, looking up to the two. "My prince." She looked to the copy me and gave the same sinister smile. "Iliana."

The copy me huffed back and laughing once more, Isis walked away.

The name again…

The copy me finally gave a smile and that was when everything froze. I looked around, thinking that something was coming. I glanced down to the Millennium Necklace, thinking that was the cause, but the object wasn't even glowing. Looking back up, I saw the copy me, Iliana, was still moving. Her frame moving up and down with her breaths.

After a few moments of silence, she finally looked up and stared right at me. I said nothing, all words had died in my throat. Her position was the exact same as on the canvas that sat in my room. The copy me opened her hand and the same snowflake that I had appeared floating in her palm.

I copied the motion, moving the Millennium Necklace to one hand so that I didn't drop it. She gave a smile and a waggle of her eyebrow, like she expected me to believe that we were the same now. I wasn't convinced just yet. She gave a sigh.

"When did I get so dense?" She asked aloud in my voice. "Pretty but dense."

Huh? "It's all right in front you. Why do you not accept it?"

I huffed, indignant about being called dense.

"Because it's impossible!" I snapped back.

"Oh?"

"Yeah! You're, what, about…." I had to remember the words of the crone back at home in order to get the date right, "3000 years old?"

The copy me shook her head side to side, like the hand gesture saying 'so-so'.

"Give or take a number of centuries."

"So… us being the same person is completely impossible! No human body could survive that long!"

"But do remember what we are."

That stunned me into a short silence. I raised an eyebrow at my copy. She raised her hands in the air, snowflake melting as she moved, palms raised towards the ceiling. "Magic can make the impossible possible, right?"

I gave another huff. I had to concede one thing, she knew the way I thought.

"What happened to you, then?" I asked. "You just up and vanished; no one knows why."

The little smirk that had been growing on her face the entire conversation suddenly fell into a sad one. She knew the answer, I knew it, but she shook her head.

"I can't say."

"Why not?"

The smile faded completely. She adjusted her position so that she faced me head on.

"I am not supposed to. You will understand one day that the constraints of fate are not something to be trifled with."

I gave a sigh, running my free hand through my hair. "Why do you think the Millennium Necklace showed you that first vision?" I looked to her and was surprised to see an almost desperate expression on her face now. "The necklace knows you! Lady Isis, whenever she could, liked to let you wear it and pretend to be Lady Mereyam, her mistress. Never did it once cause you pain. Please, believe me. I would not lie to you!" I said nothing and my copy sighed. "I'm more stubborn than I was before." She laughed but it wasn't a happy one. "I bet that chaffs at him; he's so protective."

She was talking about Yami. I looked over to where the Yami look alike was standing but he had vanished.

I suddenly remembered Isis' calling her the 'prince's bride' and Yami the 'prince'. I fought off a blush as the thought hit me. The copy giggled, like she knew what I had thought, but said nothing. I tried to gather my thoughts but everything was racing at a mile a minute. Could… could she and Ishizu be telling the truth? Am I same person as the one I have known to be a legend my whole life?

There was one more thing I could try.

"If we're the same person," I managed, words shaking.

"And we are." The copy added quickly, the smirk growing on her face once more.

"Then prove it." I shot in before she got snarky, which I knew she would if we thought the same way. "Say something only I would know."

My copy, or I, brought her hand to her chin in thought.

"What to say…?" She hummed. "There's so many good one liners I can't even pick! Ah! Here's one!"

With a giggle, she stood up and took a few steps toward me. We were the same height and I knew the smirk that was plastered on her face to be the same one that I had. " _Do you remember the Shire, Mr. Frodo?_ "

I gasped, recognizing what she was saying immediately, but she wasn't done. " _It'll be spring soon. And the orchards will be in blossom. And the birds will be nesting in the hazel thicket. And they'll be sowing the summer barley in the lower fields... and eating the first of the strawberries with cream. Do you remember the taste of strawberries?"_

I was rooted to the spot, words impossible. The movie where that line was in wasn't even out, wouldn't be for years! The copy me gave a giggle. "Come on! You pride yourself on knowing this line! Hm?" I gave a cough, forcing the surprise out of my mind, before clearing my throat.

" _No, Sam."_ I quoted. _"I can't recall the taste of food... Nor the sound of water or touch of grass... I'm naked in the dark, with nothing. No veil between me and the ring of fire. I can see him with my waking eyes._ "

The copy me gave another smile. She didn't reply right away; she reached out her hand to push a strand of hair out of my face. Her touch was warm and was real despite this being a vision.

 _"Then let us be rid of it, once and for all. Come on, Mr. Frodo, I can't carry it for you. But I can carry you."_

With a playful bop on the head and another laugh, I was shot out of the vision. Ishizu was once more in front of me, the same concerned expression that she had when it started.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

I wanted to nod my head but it felt as heavy as stone. The Millennium Necklace was cold in my hands, almost beginning to sting my fingers. That was probably my cue to return it to its owner.

Still without a word, I handed back the necklace. Ishizu took it but didn't put it on just yet. "What did you see?" I raised my hands to slide them through my hair, contemplating what to say, then sighed.

"I don't know." I admitted. "It started like the vision before but…. It became a conversation with myself!"

I lifted my head to look her right in the eyes. "You… you were right." I began to pace once more. "There's no other way around it! And how could they know about Yami? *sigh* I am stubborn just like she – I said!" I made a soft groan, still pacing. "I still don't know what to make of it but…." I stopped to look back at Ishizu. "I believe you."

Ishizu seemed surprised for a moment. "I know it's improbable but… How else do I explain it?" I took a deep breath before I spoke once more. "So, now that I have been forced to believe you, what do I do with this knowledge?"

Ishizu gave a knowing smile, her surprise fading, finally tying the Millennium Necklace back around her neck. I said nothing, waiting for her speak.

"What were the duties of the main queen of Egypt?" She asked, almost avoiding the question.

I raised an eyebrow. "Just answer the question."

"Without her, he couldn't rule." I summed up, not even thinking about it.

Ishizu nodded.

"So, like you did before, stand beside him, help him achieve his destiny."

That seemed like a tall order for a teenage girl. No pressure there. I nodded anyway.

After grabbing my bag, I had another nerd moment. The thing with a name.

"Ishizu?" I asked and the woman turned around. "Did her… my name have to change once I married him? Like that Hittite princess who married Ramesses the Great?"

Ishizu looked at the stele for a second, smiled, then waved me over. She pointed to a large cartouche that I had never noticed before, even after looking at these things since I was a kid. Most of it was defaced in the same way as the Pharaoh's Tablet near the other side of the exhibit.

The woman slid a finger over the glass overtop the hieroglyphs.

"Nefertari." She explained. "Very popular name for queens, especially in the 19th Dynasty."

"How many of them were there?" I asked, trying to return to my silly self after this explosion of knowledge.

"Far too many." I laughed at the deadpan in her voice.

Ishizu's finger reached the defaced part. "While most of it is gone, we can still decipher what's left." She then pointed to a set of symbols that looked like half a ship, or a farming hoe, and a half circle. "Feminine form _'mrt'_ meaning 'beloved' and this river is the genitive meaning 'of'. So Nefertari the beloved of someone; god or man, the name is gone."

I blushed; I think I knew what the Yami look alike called me…. And being the psychic that Ishizu was, she gave a short laugh. "Quite reminiscent of a certain someone's pet name…"

"Shush." I managed from behind a hand that was failing to hide the continually growing blush.

Ishizu gave another gentle laugh. I didn't know if it was simply because I saw the memory of Isis teasing me long ago but I felt a wave of nostalgia hit me at the sound.

The exhibit was closing soon by the time Ishizu let me go, saying that I should get ready for the beginning of the tournament tomorrow. I didn't argue; I was tired both physically and mentally. Yugi was probably going to nag me until tomorrow since I wasn't home when the gang arrived. I gave a laugh to myself as I walked. I wasn't looking forward to that.

Grandpa was closing up the shop when I popped to the door and he gave me a smile as he greeted me.

"Good day?" He asked as he locked up.

I considered how to answer for a moment. Was it a good day?

"Weird day." I eventually decided on. "Weird…. but in a good way."

Grandpa chortled merrily but didn't question my words, only sending me off to rest so I could be ready in the morning.

I headed to my room and as I passed Yugi's and heard the boy talking to himself, sorting out unseen cards. I didn't want to bother him with checking in on him so I kept walking. He and Yami were probably working out last minutes changes in their deck. I changed into pajamas but before I climbed into bed, my eyes caught Pegasus' painting. The image of me staring back was still jarring, especially since I saw a moment where she… I… looked the same. I walked over and picked up the canvas. Did Pegasus see something like what I did before he painted this? How though? The Millennium Eye was ripped away from him, literally out of his eye. Did I cause it when I performed that spell saving his life? That would be reasonable since the voice saying that I could do it was indeed my own.

A knock at my door shook me out of my thoughts and I turned just as it opened. Yami, a plate of food in hand and a nervous smile, opened the door. I quickly put the canvas back in its place before he asked anything.

"Hey…" He greeted in a soft breath.

I smiled.

"Hey."

I pointed to the plate. "That for me?" Yami nodded.

"I heard Grandpa muttering that you didn't eat anything so…" He waved the plate at me.

I breathed a laugh.

"Thank you. That's very sweet of you. Sorry to make you worry about me."

Yami smiled back and placed the plate on my desk. He didn't immediately leave; Yami walked over so that we were standing face to face. I fought off a blush as the memory of what he looked like as a prince came to the front of my mind.

"Are you ok? You came home really late."

"Sorry!" I waved my hands over my chest. "I got distracted! By the time I looked at a clock again, it was like, nine? Whoopsies!"

Yami chuckled then tapped my forehead with his finger.

"Typical Christine fashion."

"Hey!" I swatted his hand playfully. "I'm not that bad."

Yami laughed, this time harder. I wasn't offended, it was nice to hear the sound after he had been so serious yesterday. Taking advantage of the nice moment, I popped up onto my toes to kiss him, placing my hands on his shoulders so I didn't lose my balance. Yami was quick to reply with an arm around my waist and other hand at my jaw, fingers sliding into my hair.

I couldn't breathe properly by the time Yami released me but I had a bright smile plastered onto my face. Carefully taking a deep breath, I gathered his hands to hold them in my own. "You should go back and help Yugi. You two have a big day tomorrow."

Yami nodded, settling one last kiss to my forehead.

"Don't stay up too late."

"I should be telling you that, buster."

Yami chuckled again. "I mean it. If I wake up at two in the morning for some random reason and hear you two, I'm busting in with that incense." Yami, continuing to laugh, nodded his head and left the room.

After I stood in the same spot for a minute, I sat on my bed and breathed. Then the image of my boyfriend as a prince came back to mind. Without a word, I grabbed a pillow, shoved it in my face then screamed.

I wouldn't be getting any sleep if that image kept coming up.

 **What did you all think? Hope you all have a great day!**

 **RobynHood3**


	4. The Tournament Begins

**Hey, sorry about the lack of updating. I've been stressed and having some medical issues doesn't help. But besides that, writing is going well.**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If you recognize anything, I don't own it either. I only own Christine, my OC***

I didn't wake during the night but I was groggy as all hell when I got up the next day. When I looked at the clock, I knew why.

"Why am I up at six in the morning?" I grumbled to myself. "This is ridiculous."

I got up anyway, if only to brush my hair and teeth. I avoided my reflection as much as I could to not freak myself out again. I didn't want to put on normal clothes yet so I walked out of my room to get something to nibble on.

Yugi's voice was clear as day through his door and I had a sneaking suspicion that the two hadn't gone to bed like I asked. I considered going in and giving the signature 'mom-glare' but I gave a soft yawn instead. I'd berate him later. I was still too groggy. Grandpa was kind enough to leave breakfast materials out on the counter before he went out to sweep the front porch. I would make breakfast for Yugi when he eventually came out.

While it cooked, I ran back to my room to change into normal clothes. A white baseball length t-shirt and black high waisted shorts with my black belt to keep them up. Just for fun, I pulled on my new pair of black boots, nothing too extravagant but comfortable enough so that I could walk around in them for the day. They were even padded in a way so that I could be quiet as I walked!

I had just put the breakfast onto a new plate when I heard the clinks of Yugi's clothes. Before I could shout for him to come in and eat something, the clinks entered the room. "Ah, good. I didn't even have to say anything. I must have knocked it into your head enough times that you should eat breakfast."

"Ha Ha." Yami's voice droned at me. "Very funny."

I laughed as well, handing him the plate. He looked a little tired, probably from staying up all night, but I didn't berate him for it; a last second decision based on the serious expression on his face. He and Yugi were probably all nerves at the moment, anything I said could set them off.

I was packing food into small bags for lunch for the rest of the gang when they got here when Yami placed his dishes into the dishwasher for later. He stood there for a moment more, the only sound being me zipping up bags, and then he took a breath. "You coming today?" I nodded then turned to look at him. His expression was blank but the tone that he spoke in was almost a shy questioning.

"Well, I was going to wait here for Anzu and the rest of the gang but… if you wanted me to come with you, I can."

Yami only nodded and I smiled. "Give me a minute to finish this up." I had to rush but I managed to bag the rest of the food I wanted to before racing to the door with Yami.

We reached the plaza by eight o'clock and waited around for a while. I sat on the fountain while Yami stood next to me and I could see he was looking for someone. His jacket was across his shoulders like it was at Duelist Kingdom.

"Jounouchi's late." He said aloud.

"Overslept?"

Yami hummed, unconvinced. It did seem weird for Jounouchi to be late. He was very excited for this tournament; he wouldn't want to miss the rules being explained.

"Yugi" A voice called from the crowd. "Christine!"

We both turned and I smiled at an approaching Mai.

"Mai!" Yami greeted.

"Hey!" I waved.

Mai plopped down onto the fountain with me and as she began to speak with Yami, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and fidgeted with my hair. "Mai!"

"It's almost time!" She said, ignoring me. "This is the place! Everybody's gathering under the big clock!"

"Yes." Yami agreed. "It's almost time for them to announce the tournament rules."

Mai finally released me, leaning back onto her arms.

"By the way… Isn't Jounouchi entering this tournament?"

"He should be here any minute."

Mai's face brightened.

"Really! So he **is** dueling! He actually made the cut, huh?"

"You sound surprised." I told her.

"I shouldn't be but I am!"

We both laughed at her words. Our reverie was short lived.

"Long time no see!" A harsh voice snapped. "Yugi! Mai!"

It was Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood! The two had harsh expressions on their faces. They were no doubt remembering Duelist Kingdom. "Listen, you two! You're gonna pay for what you did on the island! So get ready!"

"If you think I'll be as easy as before, you are sorely mistaken." Weevil snickered as he held up his deck. "My new insect deck is many times more powerful."

"Insect deck, eh?" A booming voice was suddenly added to the conversation, making me jump.

Mako Tsunami jumped into the conversation, a large smile on his face. "Wait'll you see **my** deck! My Fortress Whale will swallow you in one gulp!"

Both Rex and Weevil took offense at the words; they turned toward the ocean duelist.

"What?!"

"If we're comparing sizes, my dinosaurs are massive!" Rex snapped.

I rolled my eyes, ending up looking to Yami and Mai and hoping for an escape. Mai understood completely. She helped me up and directed Yami and I away.

"Let's go." She huffed as the three other boys began to argue in earnest. "I'm already tired of these guys."

We loitered around for a little while longer, Mai and I talking while Yami stood near stalk still prepared for anything, before the large screen in the plaza flicked on to reveal Kaiba's face.

"My fellow Duelists." His voice bellowed through the plaza. "Welcome to Battle City. I will now explain the rules of the match! The participants gathered here today have been acknowledged by Kaiba Corporation as being Level 5 or higher; the duel disks on your arms are proof of that! The stage of this tournament is the entire town of Domino City! I have spoken to the civic authorities, no matter where you are within Domino City… If two duelists come face to face, you may fight!

Each duelist will use a 40-card deck! All matches will be played by ante rules, with the loser surrendering the rare card of the winner's choice! As you win, your deck will become stronger and stronger… But if you lose, it will be hard to catch up.

Now, according to reports, there are 48 participants, but only eight will make it to the finals!"

"Only eight?" A duelist nearby the three of us gasped.

"That's crazy!" Another replied.

"As for the location of the finals…" Kaiba continued. "It's a secret… but it's somewhere within city limits! I don't intend to duel under the same conditions as the rest of you. Therefore, in the interest of fairness, not even I know where the finals will be held!"

"How will we know where it'll be!" A duelist shouted up to the screen.

"Look at the duel disks on your arms!" Kaiba seemingly answered. "On the back, you will find a transparent plate!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Yami pull the see-through plate out of his duel disk. There was a small piece of a map inside. "That plate is a puzzle card! When all the puzzle cards from the 48 participants are stacked together, a map of Domino city will be revealed. The puzzle cards have a special prismatic coating; if you stack any six of them, a light will shine in a certain spot on the plate. That spot is the location of the finals!"

A smirk lit up Kaiba's face. "That's right! When you win a duel, your opponent's puzzle cards become yours! Only those who collect six puzzle cards can reach the unknown location of the finals!"'

The crowd roared with approval. "The tournament begins at nine o'clock! Duelists! Scatter across Battle City!"

Kaiba's face disappeared from the screen and the movement began immediately. The duelists bolted in all directions, including Mai, who waved and winked at Yami and me.

"All right, Yugi!" She waved. "The next time I see you… we're on!"

Yami gave a smile in return and nodded.

Yami didn't move from the clock tower so I waited with him. He was probably still waiting for Jounouchi to arrive. I was starting to get worried. Was everything ok? I kept glancing at the clock, watching the hands move closer and closer to the 12 and the start of the tournament. By 8:55, I was half ready to start chewing on my nails.

We heard Jounouchi before we saw him.

"Aha!" He shouted. "I found you!"

Yami and me both turned to see Jounouchi staring down a guy sitting at a table at the nearby café. The guy had a bored expression on his face as he looked up from his laptop. "I've been looking all over for you! You can disappear into the crowd, but you can't hide your snake-like eyes!"

The guy took a long drink of his coffee and fixed Jounouchi with the same bored expression. I didn't hear what he said but Jounouchi's growled out reply made Yami and me both tense up. "That's 'cause you stole my card, you jerk!"

Yami went over first, me on his heels, to see what was going on.

"Jounouchi, what happened?" Yami asked.

Jounouchi seemed surprised at our arrival but the glare was soon returned to the man's face.

"Yugi! Be on your guard! There are Rare Hunters in this tournament!"

The name rang a bell. Apparently, they were a group that illegally stole and copied cards for their own uses. I remembered watching a news report with Grandpa about them a number of times about how they were called 'Ghouls' for how they just simply faded back into the shadows and how hard they were to track.

As if the guy found it funny, he laughed and took another few sips of his coffee.

"You don't mean… they took your rare card?!"

"That's not fair!" I argued. "The tournament hadn't started yet!"

"They don't play fair." Jounouchi huffed in response before turning to Yami and his completely angered face. "Hold on, Yugi! Don't fight him!"

Yami didn't listen. A growl slid its way out of his throat that made even me shiver in fear.

"Anyone who steals a duelist's precious, personal cards…" He growled out, "Will have to answer to me!"

The guy gave a sly smile, finally standing from his table.

"Does that mean you want to duel me?" He asked, even his voice a snake-like hiss.

Yami didn't reply, only beginning to prep his duel disk. Jounouchi's eyes widened for some reason and rushed forward to grab Yami.

"Yugi, wait!"

"Stay out of the way! I'll get your card back!"

Knowing there was no way to get through to Yami with shouting, I pulled Jounouchi away so that we were out of the way. "Garbage like you is a disgrace to the city! I'll clean you up right now!"

The man didn't seem all the frightened, pulling his duel disk out from his robes.

"Challenging me to a duel…" He chuckled, "You're very brave… Fine, I accept!"

Yami only strengthened his glare.

"A Rare hunter…" He mused. "Counterfeiters and thieves feeding off the sweat of honest gamers and publishers… The ghouls of the Gaming Underworld! So, you've chosen this town as your next target."

"Of course. Japan's best duelists are gathered here in one place! We Rare Hunters are the combat division of the Ghouls, we're taking this tournament and all its rare cards!"

Even from my distance, I heard Yami make another loud growl.

"You scum! I'll smash every single one of you!"

Jounouchi pulled through my grasp on him and ran up to Yami once more. I face palmed, staying where I was. Jounouchi was so insistent about telling Yami something. I jumped when Yami snapped at the blond. "Don't finish that thought, Jounouchi! No matter what kind of dirty tricks the Rare Hunter has up his sleeve, I have no right to know the enemy's strategy before a game! That would give me an unfair advantage!"

Yami turned away from Jounouchi and back to the Rare Hunter. "So, do you have a name? Oh, never mind… Just come at me with all you've got!" Yami pulled his deck out from the holster he carried it in. "But – No matter what… My deck will crush you!"

"I admire your fighting spirit… but I'm going to teach you that it takes more than that to win a duel!"

The both of them turned away from each other and I saw Yami settling his deck into his Duel Disk. He only looked up once, locking eyes with me, before pulling his jacket off his shoulders and tossing it to me.

"Hey!" One of the nearby Duelists shouted. "A duel's already staring near the clock tower! And that guy Yugi's in it!"

"Let's go see!" Another added on.

Soon enough, we were surrounded. I stuck close to Jounouchi, who was still stiff as a board. Time went by extremely slowly as we all waited for the clock to hit nine. When it did, everything moved at once.

"Duel!" Both men shouted.

The two gathered five cards each and after a moment, Yami pulled the first card.

"I'll play this card facedown!" Yami began his turn, sliding the card into the slot. "And, in attack mode, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts! (1500/1200)"

The card appeared on the field in front of Yami and from the image, the giant monster popped out. "I'm done."

"Then it's my turn!"

The rare hunter drew a card and I didn't like the large smirk that grew on his face. "I play the spell card Graceful Charity! I draw three cards and discard two!" As he spoke, he performed the actions and the smirk grew even wider. What was he so happy about? Jounouchi seemed to be getting nervous, his hands were shaking slightly. "And now… Stone Statue of the Aztecs (300/2000) in defense mode!"

It had 2000 defense points but barely any attack points. What was this guy doing?

Yami drew his next card.

"I play Baphomet the Demon (1500/1200)!" Yami played the card and the large horned monster appeared. His face down card then flipped up. "I use Polymerization to fuse my two monsters together to form Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast (2100/1800)!"

I loved this monster. Its two heads and wings were always popular in my book. "According to the rules, I can't attack on the same turn that my creature is summoned… but on my next turn, my Chimera will destroy your monster."

The rare hunter didn't seem too concerned, the smirk continuing to grow on his face.

He drew his card and played another.

"Once more, Graceful Charity! I draw three cards and discard two!"

I looked over to Yami's face and I could tell that he was concerned about how much he was drawing as much as I was. Why would he need to gather so many cards? He was trying to get something in his hand. Ritual cards? Fusion material? Special summon monsters? I looked over at him and saw him adjusting his cards in his hand. He played with them like I did sometimes, moving two or three so that they were on the same side. He was organizing his hand in a way that was similar use cards were together. I narrowed my eyes, continuing to watch him. "Well then… It's my end phase…" He ended his turn by summoning a Gear Golem monster that had an insane amount of defense points.

Yami's eyes narrowed for a moment and then he gave a bright smile.

"Rare Hunter!" He called in almost a teasing way. "I know what you're planning!"

"Heh… You lie! You're bluffing. There's no way you can-"

"I won't let you summon Exodia!"

It clicked. He was trying to pull all five pieces into his hand so that he'd win automatically. Nice job, Yami! Jounouchi jumped with excitement. That must have been what he'd been trying to tell Yami but he'd figured it out anyway. The rare hunter's smile faltered but it remained on his face.

"Yes, but what can you possibly do on your next turn…?"

Yami smiled and held up a card in his hand.

"I'll crush Exodia with this card!"

The rare hunter didn't look frightened, his smirk remained perfectly in place. I narrowed my eyes at him, happily awaiting the moment when Yami won.

Yami drew his next card. His expression remained pensive so I had no idea what he was thinking. "I'll play a face down card and attack your stone statue with my Chimera!"

The winged beast gave a loud roar and pounced at the large stone statue. It fell apart in large pieces and crumbled into dust.

The smirk remained on the rare hunter's face. "I play another face down card and that's the end of my turn." The smirk broadened so much that I thought his face was going to split.

"Now, it's my turn!" He practically beamed. "Draw!"

Just before he drew his card though, Yami shouted.

"Before you draw… I activate my spell card!"

The card at Yami's feet lifted revealing the card that Yami had shoved into my face two days ago. "Light-force sword!" The smirk finally faded. "This spell card will take one of the cards in your hand and force it onto the field!"

True to Yami's word, a sword appeared over the rare hunter's hand. It hesitated only a second before it fell down and pierced through one of the cards. Once the sword hit the field, the image of a right hand appeared above the card. Yami got one of the pieces! Yami only chuckled at the surprised look on the rare hunter's face. "In addition! When Exodia's right hand touches the field, it activates my trap card! Chain Destruction!" The second card on Yami's field flipped up to reveal the trap card. "This trap card not only destroys a monster on the field, it wipes out all duplicate cards in your hand and deck. Exodia will never awaken!"

The right hand on the field exploded and even from my distance, the cards in the guy's deck started to smoke and burn. The rare hunter's face melted into shock and then into a simple blank expression. He couldn't believe he had lost. "Once Exodia parts have been placed in the grave yard, they can never be brought back; and without Exodia, you have no way to win! The biggest weakness of an Exodia deck is losing one of its limb cards. Once it's lost you're doomed to darkness. You deck is dead!"

The rare hunter was in shell shock. His eyes widened and he began to shake.

"I lost…" He breathed. "But that can't be… n-not my ultimate deck…."

The man then began to scream. He clutched at his head like he was in pain. I immediately tried to rush forward in an attempt to help but Yami grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

"Hey!" I fought but Yami's grip was tight.

"Wait…." His voice was soft, completely in surprise at what was occurring.

"Help me…" The rare hunter gasped. "Help me… He's coming….!"

His forehead bulged and morphed until a glowing symbol of the Wadjet eye. It was the same symbol as the Millennium Items.

"Yugi, what's going on?" Jounouchi bolted over to the two of us, surprise clear on his face. "Are you doing that?"

Yami shook his head. The man began to scream again.

"He's here! Lord Marik….!"

Suddenly, the man's head dropped like he was a puppet whose strings were dropped mid performance. The eye on his forehead still glowed but his head moved slowly, rising up to look over at the three of us.

"Keh heh… Are you… Yugi?" He laughed. "I've heard of you…"

A shiver ran down my spine. The voice was completely different and with the body language finally relaxing, it was like someone else was standing there. "The man you just faced was the weakest of the rare hunters. Our real strength is much greater." The three of us were frozen stock still. I moved my wrist so that, while Yami's grip left my wrist, I was clinging to him. The man's head turned to me but his expression didn't change. "Oh… I didn't mean to surprise you. The person talking to you now isn't this shell you see before you. I'm in a place a bit farther away. I've implanted a bit of myself in him, so I can control him whenever I want! He does whatever I desire…"

That sent another shiver down my spine. This guy could literally control his followers from a safe distance? An angry thought hit my brain, calling this person a coward, but I didn't allow it to contort my face in rage. My emotion was clearly sent to Yami.

"Who are you?!" Yami snapped.

"Like you, I am one who has been chosen by the Millennium Items."

Yami's eyes widened, probably remembering Ishizu's words from two days ago. "This was just an introduction. Nice to meet you, Yugi. Keh heh heh heh… My name is Marik… Remember that!"

"He's being used like a microphone." Jounouchi breathed out.

"That's right. Taking over a person's mind, and controlling their speech and actions as if they were my own… That is the power of my Millennium Rod."

"You creep!"

Marik laughed through the rare hunter.

"Yes, yes. You like it? Do you want to see him do a little dance?" The man began to dance like a bad ballerina. "Keh heh heh. Fitting for a loser like him!"

My temper got the better of me. What he was doing was demeaning.

"Quit it!" I snapped at him, keeping my grip on Yami.

The man's face turned back to me, almost looking me over. There was a moment of silence before the man dropped into an over exaggerated bow.

"Very well." He acquiesced but there was an air of laughter around it.

The head lifted back up and there was a pressure on my mind. Blocked but… What was it? I took a second to have Marshmallow look around but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. I was safe, at least for the moment.

"Why are you in this tournament, Marik?" Yami questioned. "Why are the ghouls here?"

"To gather the god cards." Marik answered simply. "The three ancient cards resurrected in the modern world. According to the ancient Egyptians, three stone slabs were said to possess the ultimate power: Slifer the Sky Dragon, The god of the Obelisk and the Winged Dragon of Ra! The one who gathers all three cards and takes the title of king will be granted the power of Darkness. We Ghouls have two of the cards already. The one remaining card is in the hands of someone in this town…"

"So that's why you all are here—To get that card!"

That was slightly worrying. Who could possibly have it with the multitude of duelist prowling around the town.

"Yugi… You just fought the weakest of the Ghouls. You were lucky not to face someone stronger. But…" Marik had the man pull a card out of his pocket and one of the clear ones that Kaiba called Puzzle cards. "As long as he lost, I will abide by the rules and return the card he stole from your friend and the puzzle card as well."

Yami took them in his free hand but Jounouchi didn't run up closer to take it back. "The game has just begun. A rare hunter with a god card is already lurking in your town! If you meet him… even with your skill… It'll be instant death! Keh heh heh heh."

Yami wasn't fazed by the threat. I glanced to see his own smile light up his face.

"We'll see about that." Yami taunted back. "I'm going to put an end to your plan. Even if your rare hunters attack me with the god cards, Marik, you can't stop me! I can't lose. I will defeat you, Marik!"

There was silence for only a moment.

"I look forward to it, Yugi…" Was the last thing the man said before the body of the rare hunter collapsed.

Yami breathed before turning to me to take his jacket back. He still did nothing to remove my grip on him, adjusting himself so that I didn't have to.

Jounouchi moved over to the unconscious man and kicked his shoulder.

"He's out cold!" He exclaimed.

"You don't have to kick him, Jounouchi." I scolded but Jounouchi huffed and ignored me.

Thankfully, someone had called for help and the man was taken to the hospital. He didn't even make a sound as they took him away. What kind of lingering effect did the Millennium Rod have on people it controlled? I let go of Yami at that point gathering my belongings that I had settled onto the ground.

"The power to control people, huh…" Jounouchi breathed just as the ambulance drove away. "This guy Marik is tough. Where could he be hiding?"

There was a breath of silence. I'm sure that neither of them knew what to say in this situation. Yami was still holding Jounouchi's card so I tapped him slightly to remind him.

"Here, Jounouchi." Yami held out Red Eyes. "This is yours."

I was surprised that he didn't take the card. He turned his head away.

"Sorry, Yugi… I can't take it."

Yami pulled back the card, quietly listening to whatever Jounouchi was going to say. "If I take that card… I feel like I'll just get farther from being the true duelist I'm trying to become." Jounouchi turned back to Yami and I. "That Red Eyes Black Dragon means more to me than any card in the world. It's been my fighting partner for ages but I've leaned on it for too long! If I accept that card, I won't grow as a fighter! Not just that… The way I am right now… The card won't want me to have it."

Jounouchi pulled his deck out of his pocket. "I'll leave that card with you, Yugi. I put together a new 40 card deck for today's tournament. I still have the right to participate. I've got my see-through puzzle card… and for my ante, I've got Time Wizard. My last rare card. I'm gonna be a true Duelists in Battle City!"

Jounouchi took one last breath and leveled Yami in a serious look. "Yugi, will you promise me something? If I do all right in the tournament and the time comes where I can call myself a duelist… Will you fight me?"

Yami was quiet for a moment. I was tempted to glance at him to see his expression but I didn't have to.

"Yes!" Yami was smiling now. "Let's do it, Jounouchi!"

Jounouchi smiled back, obviously relieved with the answer. The blonde turned away to walk away but before he started, he threw his fist into the air.

"All right!" He cheered. "The tournament's just getting started! Who wants a piece of me?"

I giggled as he walked off.

"Kick butt!" I called.

"You can count on it!"

I laughed again. 'He'll do fine.' I thought. 'We'll see him later, kicking the butt of some duelist that was dumb enough to challenge him.'

"You coming with me?" Yami asked, turning around.

"Yep." I popped to his side to walk with him. "Someone has to keep an eye on you two. Trouble follows you like the plague."

"I'm hurt. Truly, I am."

That made me laugh again. "Come on, you." I followed along, excited yet also nervous about what this tournament had now become.

I hoped that everything would turn out well.

 **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I hope to get the one I'm working on done soon so that I cans start posting much faster again.**

 **And also... to the guest named Anon who reviewed this morning: Thank you for your wonderful comment; it actually made me tear up a little bit. It's people like you that make me proud of this story. I hope you continue to like the story.**


	5. The Master of the Magician

**Hi guys! I'm back with another chapter! This one was a lot of fun to write but boy am I worried about the coming ones. Chirstine's emotions are gonna get pulled at throughout this story.**

 **Also, a quick thank you to .Oblivous: I am feeling much better than before and am working towards the point where I actually remember what not being sick is like.**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own Christine, my OC***

As much as I like walking with Yami, I was really missing someone to talk to. It was almost like being a third wheel on a date but I was the one left awkwardly out. I kept my emotions in check but I'm sure my face told my annoyance perfectly.

It was now a little past 10:30, an hour and a half since the tournament started.

I glanced over to Yami to see him holding Jounouchi's Red-Eyes. He wasn't looking at it per-se, he was looking over to his other side. Most likely, he was talking to Yugi and comforting him that Jounouchi would be fine without his trump card. Yami glanced back over and, out of the corner of his eye, caught me looking at him. I tried to look natural but Yami's not that dumb.

"Sorry." He apologized.

I waved my hand dismissively.

"It's fine." I shrugged. "Ignore me; I don't want to intrude on your and Yugi's conversation."

My hand was taken by Yami's free one and we kept walking. It was nice.

Suddenly, Yami stopped dead in his tracks. I looked up to see what was wrong. He was looking at Red-Eyes again but his eyes were wide in confusion.

"They knew Jounouchi owned the Red-Eyes…." He was muttering. "How…?"

Yugi must have said something as his eyes widened even further. The grip on my hand tightened as he bolted down the sidewalk, pulling me behind him.

"What the…?! What's going on?!"

"The store!" He simply said. "Where we got our duel disks yesterday! It's a front!"

"A front—OH!"

A front being a legitimate business that, unknowing to its patrons, leaked information to its shady partners. Someone in the store must have leaked to the Rare Hunters that Jounouchi owned the Red-Eyes and sent that other guy to get it. That sent my blood boiling. I kept up my speed so I wasn't being dragged and the two of us ran deeper into town.

The sign on the game store read closed but Yami pushed the door open without any trouble.

"Closed but not locked, eh?"

I glanced around, slightly worried that people would call the cops for us trespassing on the store's grounds.

"Let's just not get arrested for trespassing."

Yami took that as the warning it was meant to be and we both hopped into the store, closing the door behind us. The store was dark except for the light coming in the glass door. The dark computer screen was facing towards us and I immediately thought that was strange. What kind of store would leave their computer like that?

Yami took the few steps towards it and the screen lit up. Shining on the page, was Yugi's duelist info. I was confused as to why Yami's face was shown in the picture but I said nothing.

The Dark Magician card that was next to the picture suddenly began morph and move. Smoke or steam began pour out of the image itself until the Dark Magician himself, though colored red instead of black, shot out of the computer screen and towered above us. A cruel smirk flittered across his face.

"Heh heh heh…" The Dark Magician chuckled. "I've been waiting, Yugi. I knew from the start that you'd come here… My master, the great Pandora, will duel you!"

The spellcaster thrust his staff towards Yami, who didn't even flinch back. "I'll show you that there is only one true user of the ultimate spellcaster card: the mighty Pandora the Conjurer!"

Yami wasn't scared of the threat. He chuckled to himself and he glanced over to a shadowed corner of the room.

"Stop this petty trick and come out, rare hunter!" He said calmly.

A light flickered on, illuminating the figure of a masked figure. The red Dark Magician flew over to float behind the man. The light finally adjusted so that I could see the man clearly. He wore a bright smile and held up a card, most likely the Dark Magician card.

"Welcome." He greeted in a slightly squeaky voice. "I am the second Rare Hunter. My name is Pandora, also known as The Conjurer, the Dark Magician User…"

"Dark Magician user, eh?"

Pandora snickered. "Yugi… I know you too play with Dark Magician! You've used it to defeat many foes! But! I am the true Master of Magicians! There has never been a more power magician No one can defeat my Dark Magician!"

A smirk lit up Yami's face. He silently asked me to release his hand and I did so quite unwillingly. He used his free hand to pull his deck out of its slot in the duel disk.

"We'll see about that…" Yami played with the cards for a moment before speaking again. "Out of the thousands of cards available, duelists build their decks by choosing cards they trust. But… Cards also choose duelists! When the two hearts are bound trust, the card displays its true powers!"

Smirk still plain on his face, Yami began to shuffle his cards. "You rare hunters don't have the heart of a duelist."

Pandora's smile faded into a sneer. His Dark Magician shared his expression. Another chuckle came out of Yami's mouth. "And besides, I know a better magician who doesn't need to resort to paltry tricks." Yami glanced over at me, an almost teasing expression on his face.

I rolled my eyes.

"Suck up." I muttered under my breath.

Playfully, I flicked the top card of his deck two times, like I did when I was showing a card trick to a kid. Yami picked up the card and I was surprised to see the Dark Magician reflected back at me. Yami flipped the card around to show Pandora what he had drawn.

"I accept your challenge, Pandora!" Yami's Dark Magician poured out of the card. "I'll fight you, Magician vs. Magician."

I was slightly annoyed that Pandora wasn't as surprised that Yami drew the Dark Magician as I was. The slight smile returned to his face.

"That's the spirit." Pandora commended. "How kind of you to accept, so there's no need for force. This **is** an honor."

So, force was going to be used if Yami didn't accept. I huffed and crossed my arms at the thought. "Well then, this room is too small to fight properly. I have prepared a duel arena in the basement of the shop. This way please…"

Pandora turned to walk away. He was headed toward the door at the back, walking slowly. I was waiting till Yami moved before I did but the spirit turned to me unexpectedly.

"I want you to go find Jounouchi." He whispered. "Stay with him. I don't want you anywhere near this."

I raised an eyebrow. He was really asking this of me? Jounouchi could be anywhere in Domino; I'd never find him.

"I'm not leaving you." I simply said.

"Christine, don't be stubborn."

"I'm not being stubborn. I don't trust this guy to play fair and you need someone who has your back."

Yami's eyes narrowed, trying to be threatening. "Can't scare me, Yami. I can take care of myself. Please?" The look dropped and he sighed.

"Fine."

He turned to follow Pandora and I was quick on his heels. Pandora was through the door by this point so we made our way towards him just as he was heading down a set of stairs.

"Mind the stairs…" He was trying to be helpful… I didn't find it encouraging.

Yami and I followed behind, my eyes trying to focus on the increasing darkness. Pandora's squeaky voice spooked me when he spoke once more. "Incidentally, Master Marik told me you might be dropping by. I took the time to set up something special, so you wouldn't be bored."

Yami made an audible gasp. Then a growl shot through his throat.

"You talked to Marik?! Where is he, Pandora? Tell me!"

Pandora gave another snicker.

"Where is he, I wonder?"

The masked man looked back and the smirk was clear as day even in the dark. "He's close. You might even say… he's in here…" He pointed to his head and snickered again.

Yami stiffened at the words. From what I remembered Marik saying before, he could possess any of his followers with his Millennium Rod. It could be possible that he was watching us right now through Pandora's eyes.

We followed after the masked man for a little way longer before he stopped at a door labeled with a question mark. "Here we are. This is my underground arena." Pandora opened the door and inside looked like a bad dream.

Chains hung from the ceilings. There were boxes covered with holes - iron maidens -, most likely for the magic trick that had swords 'impale' the magician. I gave a shiver at the creepiness of all of it. The dueling platform was elevated so I poked Yami and whispered that I'd stay below. Yami disagreed and pulled me after him up the stairs. I guess that if I'm sticking with him, I'm gonna be close to the action.

Yami stepped into the arena proper while I stood on the triangle shaped side. "Yugi, how cruel of you. Making the dear lady stand." Something suddenly collided with my knees, making me fall back and land into a chair. When the heck did this thing get here? My wrists were locked into metal restraints that wouldn't let go no matter how hard I pulled on them. I could try freezing them but with how my wrists were locked in, it would take some time.

"What the…!" I managed to say. "You jerk! If you'd only asked, I would have told you that I preferred to stand!"

"Never!" Pandora chided. "A lady of your standing shouldn't be forced to remain on your feet for the show."

'Standing'? What the hell was he…

Oh shit…. My eyes widened as I stared at Pandora. Did he, and Marik for that matter, know who I was? I made my annoyance known when my eyes narrowed and crossed my thankfully un-locked legs. Pandora only chuckled with his squeaky voice. Yami said nothing, though I could see the annoyed expression on his face, only approaching the small table in the middle of the arena. "I believe this is a worthy stage for a match between two Dark Magicians."

Still saying nothing, Yami pulled his deck out of his duel disk where he had put it. The two duelists placed them onto the table. "Now let us shuffle our decks; whether or not we draw our magicians, or die horribly, all depends on this moment!"

I couldn't see from where I was trapped but I could hear the shuffling of cards. Yami was obviously doing the proper way while Pandora… His was harder to see. Yami's words clarified it.

"Shotgun shuffle will damage your cards, you know." He seemingly chided.

"I'm used to this way."

Yami's shoulders slumped in a way that made me think was him sighing.

"I'll cut your cards."

Pandora gracefully passed him the deck and the splitting of cards carried into my ears.

"There's an old saying among gamblers…" Pandora began to ramble. "'Trust your friends, but always cut the cards…'"

Yami huffed out a laugh.

"Friends?" He asked.

Yami handed back the shuffled deck before continuing. "I'm sorry… I don't make friends with ghouls."

Pandora didn't look chuffed. The annoying smile remained on his face. The conjurer moved back toward one side of the circle and Yami followed pace toward his own side. He glanced at me, checking to see if I was ok. I nodded, I was unharmed and in relative safety. Yami understood, turning back to Pandora.

"Now that we are committed to dueling, I like to show you something that will prove that we're truly blood brothers…"

The statement confused me. It only got worse when Pandora reached for a chain above his head and tugged on it. "A nightmare show with you as the star!"

Yami was suddenly tugged backward further into the circle's edge and he let out a curse at something below him. I couldn't see but I saw what they were when the same thing happened to Pandora. Shackles wrapped around his legs, a single keyhole on one of the bands of metal that would unlock the both of them most likely. "I have them too! Now neither of us can escape! And now you will witness the greatest show of the century: Pandora's daring escape from the very jaws of death!"

Death came in the form of a loud hum. It echoed in my ears and the blood drained from my face when I saw the large saws whirl out of the very arena itself. "That's right! A 100-tooth carbide-tipped saw blade, just like they use to saw women in half!" Pandora cackled loudly. "As I'm sure you've guess already, this duel will use my house rules! Do you see the numbers marked on the cutter's rails? Those are the player's life points!"

My heart dropped into my stomach. "This is a nightmare game where the loser's body will be sawed apart!" Pandora then pointed to the box placed between his legs. "You have the same thing on your side. In this box is a key that will unlock the shackles on our legs. The display on the box shoes the enemy's life points. It is designed to open when it reaches zero! In other words, only the winner can escape!"

I could feel my blood turning to ice. Panic was beginning to set in as I shot my head towards Yami who snapped.

"Pandora, you're crazy!"

Pandora's crazed smile only continued to confirm it.

"According to Greek Mythology, a pythos, or a special box, was created by the Gods to contain all the misfortune in the world. But when a woman named Pandora opened it, all the evil escaped, bringing evil, suffering and pain!"

"Only 'cause she was tricked!" I snapped at him, interrupting his 'story'. "Know the whole story before you ramble, you whack job!"

Pandora didn't teasingly berate me. He only nodded his head and continued as if I said nothing.

"But one thing remained in the box… Hope. This key is our hope… but only for one of us."

The conjurer bursts into laughter again. I shot him an angry look before looking to Yami, expression softened in panic.

"Yami….!" I whined. "Not that I don't have faith in you but… Please don't lose… I don't think I can put together body parts again."

Yami looked back to me again. I could still see the anger but it was muted when he nodded confidently at me. He looked back to Pandora and the anger returned.

"Is this fun for you?" Yami asked, voice harsh. "A battle that kills people… I'm asking you, is it fun?"

"Why, yes…" Pandora chuckled once more. "Because I'm the one who'll win."

"Freak!" I snapped into the conversation.

Yami must have agreed with my simple statement and wasted no time setting up his duel disk.

"I'll take you to the very edge of your life!" Yami huffed at Pandora and the duel began.

Both of them drew five cards and silence ensued for a moment. I took the moment to begin freezing my restraints but whatever metal was being used, it was very tough. I gave an annoyed huff when my ice wasn't even making a dent. I guess I was just going to have to play the waiting game and slowly freeze them from the inside out. Yami began the game by playing one card face down and Alpha the Magnet Warrior in Defense mode. Pandora mimicked the move by playing Legion the Fiend Jester in defense mode as well before ending his turn. The cocky smile on his face was getting on my nerves again. Yami's words woke me from the annoyance coursing through my veins. "Instead of attacking this turn, I'll play a spell card. Card Destruction! We both discard our hands! You too, Pandora!"

That sent the cocky smile of Pandora's face in an instant. The look of panic nearly made me laugh but I kept it down to a chuckle. "Judging from your look of panic, I guess you did have Dark Magician." Yami chuckled. "Only a fool would duel a conjurer without taking precautions against cheating. Someone who shotgun shuffles their cards obviously doesn't care about hurting them. I knew you'd cut up your cards and mark them without thinking twice!"

"Th-then…" Pandora was stammering, looking up from his hand and the obvious Dark Magician in it. "You cut my deck knowing my trick!"

I could practically feel the smug smile spreading across Yami's face as he and Pandora put their hands into the graveyard. Yami's turn wasn't done yet. He also flipped his facedown card to reveal Brain Control, taking Pandora's lone monster. Using both monsters, Yami was able to summon his token monster, Dark Magician. It had been a long time since I had seen the spellcaster like this - since Duelist Kingdom most likely - so it was nice to see him.

"I'll play any game, no matter how dangerous! But if you want to kill me, you better be ready to pay the price! Dark Magician, direct attack!"

The attack looked awfully painful. Pandora couldn't fall backwards because of the shackles on his legs but I'm sure he would have if given the chance. "Let's see this 'show of the century' you were talking about!" The attack dropped him to 1500 life points and, even if he was threatening both Yugi and Yami's lives, it was painful to watch the saw begin to close in on Pandora. "What, are you surprised?! You shaved your cards to try and cheat me. I'd threaten to shave a few inches off of you, but that would scare the lady."

"Yami not threatening people with dismemberment? Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" I muttered, obviously loud enough for him to hear as he gave a soft laugh.

"If you want to give up, now's the time…"

Pandora's face became crazed once more. The way it contorted into the bright smile, scared me.

"G-give up?!" He gasped. "Never! Ha ha ha ha ha! This is great! It's so fun! The taste of death! The tension! The frisson! I wish you could taste it too!"

The expression melted back into the same cocky smile. "I am a conjurer, Yugi. I'm in control here! You are just the audience for my show: 'Pandora's Great Escape!' I am the one who will win… I am the one who will live…" The contorted expression came back just for an instant as he began to snap at Yami. "You're the one who'll be chopped to mincemeat! You, Yugi! You!"

I gave loud scoff which only fueled Yami's snappy reply.

"So much for audience sympathy. Let's get this game over with."

Pandora continued the game with a monster in defense mode and one face down card. I was confused at what his plan was. The cocky smile remained on his face so I assumed it wasn't any good. Yami summoned Beta the Magnet Warrior and Pandora's plan sprung into action.

"Trap card activate!" Pandora cried. "Coffin of Dark Resurrection!"

A dark purple coffin popped out of nowhere, opened, then sucked in Yami's magnet warrior and Pandora's own monster. It snapped shut loudly. "The coffin resurrects Dark Magician in exchange for two souls… one of your monsters and one of mine! Come out, Dark Magician!" The coffin opened up again to reveal Pandora's red Dark Magician. His beady eyes were far different than the ones of Yami's; it creeped me out.

Since Pandora couldn't attack, he ended his turn so Yami could take his. Yami put two cards down and ended his turn. It was good because any other monster would become a big target for the Dark Magician across the field. Pandora copied him with two as well. The next turn was just filled with the two of them playing another card face down. I wished that something would happen by the time both of them had four facedown cards.

My heart and blood pressure didn't approve that thought.

Pandora suddenly flipped one of his facedown cards. "Enough waiting! Spell card: Mystical Guillotine!" A large guillotine appeared in the center of the field and chains wrenched Dark Magician onto it. "Die!" The blade began to fall, poised to decapitate Dark Magician.

"Not so fast! Magical Hats!"

The large silk hats swirled around the Dark Magician and by the time the blade came down, it sliced an empty hat in two. Pandora didn't like that.

"You can't get away that easily!" Another one of his cards flipped up. "Thousand Knives!"

Pandora's Dark Magician was given knives, many of them floating around him. The Magician threw his two knives and the rest followed toward the middle hat. "I've got you now!"

"De-spell!" Yami cried once more and all the cards faded.

The knives all vanished along with the silk hats, revealing Yami's Dark Magician. Pandora definitely didn't like that. His face contorted in rage and in his haste, attacked. Both Dark Magicians were destroyed on contact and the circle was brought back around when both duelists played Monster Reborn and brought their magicians back. "Not bad, Pandora! It seems our magician are evenly matched…"

Pandora did not seem to like the compliment. He pulled a card out of his deck.

"A fierce exchange…" Pandora huffed. "But now it's my turn!"

He played a card facedown and ended his turn. Yami played two cards face down on his turn and sent it back to Pandora. Pandora didn't copy the move. "Spell card! Beckon to the Dark!"

The ceiling began to darken and swirl. A large clawed hand appeared out of the mist, reaching right toward the Dark Magician. "The 'Hand of the Void' will take one of your monsters into the darkness forever! That's right… your Dark Magician!"

"I won't let you!" Yami retorted, flipping over one of his cards. "Mystical Rift Panel! I'm going to turn your spell right back at you!"

Pandora gave a bright cackle. That didn't sound good.

"Just as I planned! The arm was a decoy to make you play a trap card! And you fell for it!"

Another of Pandora's cards flipped. "Nightmare Chains!" A large wooden post popped up next to Yami and more chains wrapped around the Dark Magician. No matter how hard he pulled, the magician couldn't pull free. I saw the panicked expression he sent towards Yami. "Ya ha ha ha ha! Now your Dark Magician can only watch as his owner is tortured to death!"

Oh no… Yami was defenseless without Dark Magician to protect him. "Go, my slave! Dark Magician! Blast Yugi to bits!" The magician attacked and the cry of pain Yami let out made everything in me freeze.

"Yami!" I shrieked.

The power I was sending into the shackles exploded in my panic and the right one blasted off. The frozen remnants fell back onto the ground below. It hurt like no one's business but at least my hand was free. "Yami!" I tried to pull away from the other one but it was still tight around my wrist.

"And now… it's showtime!"

The hum of the saw began to come closer, passing right by me to get closer to Yami's shackled legs. "Are you ready to be dismembered, Yugi? Care for a little 'body modification'? When your life drops to zero, my great escape will be complete… and you'll bring down the curtain with you own blood! It's your last turn, Yugi! Make it count!"

Yami placed Big Shield Gardna in defense mode and ended his turn. "So, you played a wall monster… I see… You think you can cower behind that shield to escape my sorcerer's next attack…" Pandora cackled. "At the end of your next turn, your legs will come off below the knee! Try dueling then!" The masked man summoned a monster then played Ectoplasmer. "Of course, you are aware… This card can extract ectoplasm… soul energy… from a monster and use it as a weapon! And it will go straight around your wall!"

Oh god…. My heart sank. Pandora's next words muddled in my head from the panic circulating in my head. If both of his monsters were sacrificed to Ectoplasmer's effect, Yami was going to lose right now. "Ectoplasm beam! Fire!" Yami grunted when 800 points of damage hit him square in the gut, dropping his life points down to 700. The panic spiked when the saw began to move again.

"Yami!" I tried to stand up, pulling at the remaining shackle with all of my might.

I gave a yelp when pain shot up my arm. My wrist was twisted in a position that wasn't comfortable for it and if I pulled any longer, it could break.

"Stay still." Yami huffed at me, his head turning towards me. "I'm fine right now."

"Not for much longer at this rate!"

"The lady speaks the truth!" Pandora teased.

My head snapped toward Pandora. I'm sure my expression faded from concern to absolute anger.

"Shut it! I wasn't talking to you!"

Pandora gave a wild giggle. He bent over in an exaggerated bow.

"My apologies."

I gave another huff at him but Pandora only laughed. With a small glare from Yami, I moved back into the chair, trying to have my wrist relax from the stress that I put on it. When there was silence again, Pandora turned back to Yami. "Yugi… do you know why you couldn't beat me, despite your prodigious skills? I will tell you… You lacked the ruthlessness to be a true Master of Magicians! You coddled your slaves! You can't win with trust!" Pandora gestured to Yami's Dark Magician. "Look at your slave, tied to the grid because you cared so much about protecting it! You were a fool! A monster is nothing but a pawn and pawns must be sacrificed!"

"You scum…" Yami growled at him.

Pandora burst into another fit of laughter. It was cut short when he snapped his head toward his own Dark Magician.

"Dark Magician! Give me your life so that I can win! Your master demands it!"

The monster actually looked conflicted. He glanced over at Pandora, then to Yami and even at me. His eyes were no longer scary. They were begging for help… He suddenly collapsed over himself, the same white power being sucked out of him. It had 1250 attack power and it hurtled straight for Yami.

"Pandora…" Yami's voice was soft. "Can't you hear your servant crying…?"

"Just die!"

Tears streamed down my face as the stream of bright light hurtled toward Yami. My attention was quickly taken when Yami's own Dark Magician became a similar white stream and shot in front of Yami. For only a second, I could see the outline of the magician standing protectively just before the white burst collided with him. He sacrificed himself to save Yami…

When the smoke cleared after a few moments, I was relieved to see that Yami was unharmed. His shoulders were dropped slightly in sadness but he straightened himself quickly. Pandora looked absolutely gleeful once he had brushed off the panic from Dark Magician's action. He most likely didn't expect that Dark Magician had, on his own will, jumped in the way of his attack. The conjurer placed one card face down and ended his turn. "By the way, Yugi… I know you don't have another Dark Magician in your deck… but I have two left to defeat you! The title of master is as good as mine."

"We'll see about that, Pandora…" Yami hissed. "If you were a real Master of Magicians, your ears would be filled with the cry of the soul of the card you sent to its death!"

Playfully, Pandora lifted a hand to his ear.

"I don't hear anything of the sort! I just hear the sweet music of that saw waiting to cut you up! You're down to 700 life points! The moment it reaches zero, the cutter will pass the zero counter and chop you in half! And I will complete the greatest trick of the century!"

Yami wasn't amused.

"Only the cards know the way this battle will end."

He tugged one of the cards from his deck. "It's my turn."

Yami summoned Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode and the bright smile returned to Pandora's face. The conjurer activated a trap card called the Devil's Scales. That definitely didn't sound good.

"This trap card is activated when you try to summon a monster! It weighs the number of my monsters against the number of yours… and makes yours equal to mine!"

Yami growled. "And you don't have any monsters… In other words, the Devil's Scales will destroy all my monsters!"

"How right you are!"

There was a slight rumble from the scales before the side holding Yami's Gazelle and Big Shield Gardna were tipped right into the thing's mouth. There was no gore involved so my already queasy stomach thanked me for that but it was still disturbing. "Now we both have no monsters on our fields! And right after you summoned too! I'm so sorry!"

"No, you're not…" I huffed quietly.

Pandora drew his next card and the bright smile remained, maybe even grew, on his face.

"You've played right into my trap… Do you know that, Yugi? Because I have a card that can summon a high-level monster in an instant! A card to summon the world's most powerful spellcaster… the Dark Magician!"

That card was Dark Magic Curtain. Sacrificing half of his life points, Pandora was able to bring out another of his Dark Magicians. The skeleton that hung at the top of the curtain used its arms to open the red fabric and out stepped another of the red Dark Magicians. "Who has the perfect Magician Deck? Speed of Attack… Speed of Summoning… Spell Cards… In every way, my deck is superior to yours! You must admit I am the true Master of Magicians… The Ultimate Arch mage! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

Pandora's cackles hurt my ears and with my one free hand, I wasn't able to cover both ears. "You don't have a single monster on the field… When I give Dark Magician the word, he will strike you down and I will win… Your only hope is those two face-down cards. No doubt they're monster killing trap cards that will be activated by my attack…" Oh, geez! I had forgotten that they were there! Sure enough, Yami had two face-down cards in front of him but Pandora didn't let them hang out there for much longer. He played Anti-Magic Arrows, causing both of Yami's cards to be impaled with arrows, destroying them. "Now you have nothing left to stop me! You lose! Dark Magician! Attack Yugi!"

My heart froze in my chest when Dark Magician shot towards Yami. No…

Before I could scream, the same dark curtain that Dark Magician came from appeared on Yami's side of the field, stopping the red Dark Magician from attacking. "What?!"

"That's right…" Yami, the jerk, was obviously smiling at Pandora's reaction. "The effects of Dark Magic Curtain extend across the entire field. In other words, I can use the magic too. Though it costs half my life-points, I'm also summoning a Magician!"

Yami's life-points dropped to 350 and I could hear the edge pass me a little more towards Yami's bound ankles.

"B-but…" Pandora blabbered. "I know your deck! You only have one Dark Magician!"

"That's right. I never said I had more than one."

"Th-then what are you doing?!"

"In the world of Duel Monsters, the Dark Magician has an apprentice who inherited his vast powers. Take a look!"

The skeleton's hands wrenched open the curtains once more and out popped a very different sight. I could only see the bright blonde hair and blue and pink outfit but it was definitely the Dark Magician Girl. She turned around and looked right at me. Her bright green eyes narrowed for a second before she popped away from Yami and over to me.

"What the…" I managed to gasp before I got too entranced on her actions.

Dark Magician Girl banged on the remaining shackle for a moment. When it didn't budge, she gave an annoyed huff, stomping her food against the ground. It was funny when she tried to wrench it off herself but only succeeded in slipping. When she hit the ground, an idea must have come to her. She popped back onto her feet, wielding her wand over her head. I instinctively flinched back, shutting my eyes. There was only a loud clang but no pain. Hesitantly, I opened my eyes and looked down to see my wrist was freed from the shackle. The metal had flown everywhere but my wrist was still intact. "Huh… Nice job." Dark Magician Girl giggled brightly and with one last smile, she popped back over to Yami. I remained in the chair, rubbing at my still sore other wrist but sitting more comfortably now, to stay out of the way.

Pandora attacked immediately.

"Kill them!" Pandora shrieked. "Dark Magic!"

Dark Magician Girl jumped to defend herself. Hefting her wand up to blast a spell back at the Dark Magician. There was a large collision, a bang, and lots of smoke. With my free hands, I was able to cough and wave it away from me but I still couldn't see anything. "I got her!"

"Did you really?" Yami almost teased.

The smoke cleared and we all watched as Pandora's Dark Magician faded away into its own clouds of smoke.

"How….? Why…?" Pandora's voice was fading away as he spoke.

"I'll tell you why. Dark Magician Girl's attack power raises by 500 for each Dark Magician in the Graveyard. The apprentice carries on her master's legacy and he watches over her!"

I could've sworn that it was only 300 points but I said nothing. Nothing was bound to be right by my memory anymore. I kept my eyes on Pandora's expression. He was baffled and by what I knew. How could, if only Yami's Dark Magician was in the Graveyard, Dark Magician Girl defeat his own Dark Magician? Pandora's confused expression made me laugh out loud, his eyes moved to me.

"But there **is** more than one Dark Magician in the Graveyard." I simply said. "Just not in Yugi's."

"If you were a real master of the Magicians, you'd see it immediately."

Pandora looked back to Dark Magician Girl and after a moment, he saw it. An almost ghostly image of both Yami's Dark Magician and the first of Pandora's. With both of them in the Graveyard, Dark Magician Girl had 3000 attack points. "Dark Magician Girl inherits the souls of all dead magicians, no matter where they are buried; even your so-called 'slave' who you ruthlessly killed!"

Dark Magician Girl attacked, making Pandora scream loudly in pain. My ears were able to catch the pop of a box. Yami had reached down and pulled the key out from the box. I jumped out of the chair and over to him, being careful to avoid the still spinning axe blade. Yami wouldn't look at me though, his eyes were firmly placed on Pandora across the way. Yugi was suddenly in his place and he shot off towards the conjurer.

"Yugi!"

The boy didn't reply. He wrenched a key out of Pandora's hand, the same type that Yami had used to unshackle himself, and unlocked Pandora. Yugi then pushed both he and Pandora out of the way of the blade that moved right into the spot where Pandora's legs were just a few minutes ago.

"N-no game is worth dying for!" Yugi snapped, pushing himself up onto his hands. "That's just sick!"

Pandora didn't reply. He was slow in picking himself up. Taking the moment of silence, I stepped over to Yugi and helped him off the ground. We kept our eyes on Pandora, waiting for any kind of response. When it came, it wasn't Pandora speaking.

"Now why'd you do that?" Marik's 'voice' appeared out of Pandora's mouth instead.

Pandora turned around and the same eye from the previous Rare Hunter was glowing on his forehead. The former smile was replaced with a blank stare. "So, you're the other Yugi… The Yugi of this world, the vessel for his soul."

"Who are you?!" Yugi demanded.

"That's right… I haven't introduced myself to the vessel, have I? My name is Marik."

Pandora's blank eyes moved over to me. "The lady can vouch for my name." I huffed at him.

"Vouch is a strong word for this scenario." I deadpanned. "I don't know you."

Marik gave a chuckle then looked back to Yugi.

"I'm controlling this fool Pandora from a distance… I control his mind and all his senses: his sight and hearing. That's how I can see and hear you… and talk to you…"

"Why, Marik?" Yugi's fists were clenched at his sides. "Why do you want to kill us?!"

"It doesn't concern you but I have business with the soul you contain… and my business is revenge."

Marik explained that he was the heir of a clan of tomb guardians that have lived underground or something for about 3000 years. He claimed his actions were to avenge his family. It made no sense. Then he said something about the Pharaoh's memories. He said that his family protected the 'seven secrets' and his memories until he came back.

"Do you mean the Millennium Items? The seven items that are supposed to fit into the Tablet of the Pharaoh's Memories?!"

"I hold onto one of the seven items. I must guard it, even if it means my life, until I present it to the King's soul. That's what I was taught as a child. The problem is finding the King's soul…"

Marik explained that the only clue that the tomb guardians had at identifying the King was that he would have the three god cards. Marik took it as any person that had all three god cards would be crowned king and receive his lost memories. He glanced over the 'suffering' his family has faced while waiting and protecting the items but I somehow could tell he wasn't joking about it. "I will put an end an end to our curse but not by welcoming the King we have waited for. I will kill him a second time and take revenge!"

I had to fight with myself not to cast a sheet of ice toward the Marik controlled Pandora but managed to hold myself back. I wasn't going to let Marik rile me up. Besides, Pandora was still mortal, I had to acknowledge that. "If the prophecy says that the King will wield the three God cards, then I will fulfill the prophecy and become the new King!"

Marik already had two of the god cards through the founding and use of the Ghouls and the third one was already in town. Who could have it? I chanced a glance at Yugi and saw a pensive look on his face. Marik had given away what Yami was looking for in this tournament, something he had hoped to keep quiet from Yugi for a little while. What could he possibly be thinking right now? With one hand holding onto the chain necklace of the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi looked back to 'Marik' with a determined expression.

"Marik! I won't let you kill my partner! We will fight you!"

"Keh!" Marik scoffed. "You are merely a vessel."

"That means nothing." I added. "He may be the vessel but it doesn't mean that he will sit by and do nothing."

Pandora's blank eyes glanced over to me but he said nothing against me. He turned back to Yugi.

"It'll take me a while to get to Domino City, but I don't want you to get bored in the meantime. A rare hunter with a God card is already in town with you: a man with Slifer the Sky Dragon. You'll see him before you expect it. Remember this… Beware the Silent Doll."

That was all Marik had to say before Pandora suddenly collapsed to the ground. I couldn't leave him there so Yugi and I carried him upstairs and had someone call for an ambulance for him. Nobody asked any questions and we said nothing. When it was quiet again, I looked over to Yugi. I waited for him to say something.

"Let's move on." He finally said.

"Ok."

This tournament had really taken a dark turn and I wasn't liking where it was headed.

 **Ooohhh... God Card next! That chapter was a pain to write though... Anyway! See ya next time!**


	6. The First God Card

**Hey guys! I bring you this chapter in honor of Yugi's birthday tomorrow! Yeah! This chapter took me a long time because Marik is a butt and Sky Dragon's are hard to write out. I'm not looking forward to what is coming in two chapters though...**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own Christine, my OC***

Wanting to get away from the craziness of the inner city, Yugi and I were now walking along one of the underpasses a good way from the card hobby shop. It wasn't cold but the shivers running up and down my spine where goosebumps raised over my flesh and adrenaline coursed through my veins. The shivers could be me just freaking out or… I was probably just worried about Jounouchi. We hadn't seen him all day nor had heard anything about his progress in the tournament. I hoped he was ok. I shook my head, forcing out the thoughts. Jounouchi wouldn't be taken out that quickly; he was probably kicking butt like he promised.

I glanced over to see Yugi almost mouthing to himself. Yep, he was talking to Yami. Probably 'confronting' him with the knowledge of his true intentions. Though, based on the smile on Yugi's face, he wasn't mad. That made me smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Yugi asked after he turned his head to face me.

I shook my head, smile still on my face.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Yugi hummed, most likely not believing me. "Really! It's fine!" Yugi didn't argue with me but his next words…

"Is there something you're hiding from me too?"

The smile dropped immediately. When did he get this idea? The amethyst eyes weren't narrowed but I figured that they would have been if I were someone else. A part of me thought to deflect the question but as I told Yami before, Yugi wasn't stupid and would figure it out eventually. He had a right to know.

If only he knew how much I was actually hiding from him…

I sighed, relenting.

"Can Yami hear me?"

Yugi nodded. "Can he show you the object I showed him?" There was silence for a moment and Yugi's eyes widened.

"Is that…?"

I lifted my palm to show the snowflake that matched the one carved into the stone. It was almost taunting. I could hear 'myself' giggling in the back of my head as I was once more forced to realize this fact.

"It's not a coincidence like I've thought my whole life."

"How do you know that?"

I have a half-hearted laugh, the snowflake melting as I lowered my hand.

"I went there yesterday and I saw…" I sighed again. "It's hard to explain. I just wish there was a way I could show you…"

Yugi was quiet while I gathered my thoughts. I sat down on the steps leading out of the underpass, my arms leaning on my knees. "I didn't believe what I was told at first, not even when I saw…" I looked up to Yugi. "It was me! The voice was the same, the face was the same! The scariest thing was when she – I – talked to myself." Yugi's eyebrow raised. "I'm not kidding, Yugi. She talked to me, tried to convince me that we were the same; she quoted Lord of the Rings when I had her say something only I knew!"

Based on Yugi's expression, it didn't look like he was convinced. "I know that look, it is the same one I had." I gave a harsh chuckle. "I was called out on my stubbornness and… that it probably chaffed at him even now."

Yugi's eyes widened then narrowed slightly.

"Him? Who's 'him'?"

My hands fell in between my knees. I pictured the scene in my head, remembering each word. I didn't know how to say it. How did was I to equate the prince from the vision to the spirit that Yugi now called friend? "Christine?"

"I was called the Prince's Bride." I simply said, almost walking around my questioned name. "In the vision I saw, I was engaged to the prince who would become King, the Pharaoh."

Yugi was silent. I said nothing more, leaving him to his thoughts for a moment.

"And from what you've said about Iliana…" Yugi began slowly. "She became queen… She married the Other Me…" Yugi paused for a second to look up at me. "You married the Other me…"

"Weird, huh?" I replied with a small smile. "Thinking one thing is a coincidence your whole life and then… it's true."

"Does that make you and her the same person? Like body and stuff?"

I actually gave a laugh this time. Yugi raised an eyebrow at the action.

"You wouldn't believe how hard she argued with me to even acknowledge that! Though… She wouldn't say what happened."

Yugi tilted his head in confusion. "What happened to her – me – dammit, I'm never gonna get that right." I sighed, head dropping to look at the ground. "I wish I knew."

A hand touched my shoulder and my head popped up to see Yugi giving a bright smile.

"I promised the Other Me that I'll help get his memories back and that promise extends to you! I will defeat Marik and restore the memories that were taken from you!"

I smiled at Yugi. He was too sweet. I stood up to wrap him in a tight hug. I didn't need to vocalize my thanks as Yugi most likely already knew what I was going to say.

I pulled away from the embrace when Yugi tensed up. He turned to look down the way we had come and, following his gaze, saw that someone was racing towards us. It wasn't anyone I knew nor anyone I think I'd want to be associated with. The man was bald and his face was littered with piercings. Clad in only a pair of overalls and boots, this guy was definitely strange. The Duel Disk on his arm only made him look even stranger. His eyes were blank, staring straight at Yugi.

He stopped quickly in his tracks and I saw the golden eye of Wadjet on his forehead. I knew from the multitude of experience from just today that it was never a good sign.

"So, vessel…" My heart sank at the voice coming out of the man's mouth. "We meet again…"

"It's you!"

"That's right. It's me. I control this doll!"

The man, controlled by Marik, held his Duel Disk up. I wanted to see any change in facial expression but it remained blank. "This is the final round of a battle which has lasted 1,000 years! Will the vessel please stay out of it?" I expected Yugi to bristle at the words but he remained calm. My only indication on any emotion was the shiver up my spine.

The switch was quick and Yami was suddenly at my side. He handed his jacket to me, keeping his eyes on Marik's 'doll'. The doll's eyes finally moved over to me, following the jacket's movement. "Her highness should also move. My quarrel is not with you." I bristled in annoyance. So he did know…

"You've made it my business by threatening my friends." Taking full grip of the jacket, I turned away from Marik and walked up the stairs and out of the underpass.

I stayed on the side closer to Yami so that it was clear who I was backing and so I could keep my eyes on him. Yami's eyes remained fixed on the doll in front of him.

"Your doll's seen better days, Marik." Yami commented. "Not the most dignified bearer for a God Card."

Marik wasn't too upset. He explained that the mime was one that had gone mad years ago after he murdered his parents and locked his entire consciousness away. Him doing that made him the perfect puppet for Marik because there was nothing left for him to overwhelm, nothing for him to fight against. My blood boiled when he essentially called himself a god; his charisma and dominance only made him a madman in my eyes.

"If I win this duel, this doll will kill you." Marik explained. "That's just its program. No matter where you hide, this doll will pursue you until you die. It won't stop until it catches you."

"You can catch me but can you beat me?"

Yami was taunting him…. Great… Don't be so confident so soon. I had a really bad feeling about this duel.

The two started up their Duel Disks and began. Marik started with a face down card and a card called Humanoid Slime in attack mode. It only had 800 attack points, why would he put it in attack mode? He wanted Yami to attack it…. My head snapped towards the spirit to see if he fell into an obvious trap.

Thankfully he didn't. He copied the move with his own face down card and played Gazelle: King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode, a stronger monster with 1500 attack points.

"No attack?" Marik was taunting now. "You're being awfully cautious. Or should I say cowardly? You won't be able to beat me like that…"

Yami didn't reply to the taunt. "At least don't die until you see Slifer the Sky Dragon with your own eyes."

Marik took his turn. He played another monster, Worm Drake, then played Polymerization to fuse his new monster with the Humanoid Slime. The new monster, Humanoid Drake, had 2200 attack points. How the heck could he get that out on his second turn? Thank goodness he couldn't attack with that thing yet. I was greatly disappointed because the card Marik had face down was not a trap like I thought but a magic card, one that allowed him to attack with his fusion monster immediately. My gaze returned to Yami when he gave a chuckle. Huh?

"I knew from the moment you played Humanoid Slime that you were going to use it as a fusion monster. After all… unlike tribute summoning, with fusion summoning you can play a monster with high attack without wasting a turn."

Yami flipped over his face down card to reveal De-Fusion. Splitting them apart, Yami had made the slime vulnerable once more and was quick to attack with Gazelle and destroy it. Marik's life points dropped down to 3300. "Well, Marik? I'm sure you've already planned your next move but I've planned for the move after that!" Marik chuckled in response.

"You're making this quite enjoyable, Yugi."

"Your moves are too weak to touch my life points. Sorry, Marik."

"You don't exactly sound sorry." I muttered. "You sound quite pleased with yourself."

The smirk that raced across Yami's face proved he heard me. Dang, even with me all the way up here? Hopefully he doesn't get a big head…

"I was just testing the waters on that turn." Marik brushed off the damage and ignoring me if he even heard me at all. "I cast a pebble to see how big a ripple it would make and to measure your skill as a duelist."

"That won't even make a ripple!" Yami countered.

"If a duelist is a vessel, a strategy is like water poured into that vessel. The water takes the shape of the vessel and if the vessel is shallow, you can see the bottom."

Marik chuckled once more. "But the rumors don't lie. You have quite a talent, Yugi; you are a duelist with depth."

This whole analogy was going over my head but I didn't say anything that would distract the duelists. The duel continued without any more interruptions. Yami played Beta the Magnet Warrior and used Gazelle to attack Worm Drake, leaving Marik completely defenseless and dropping his life points down to 3200.

There wasn't any change in the doll's expression so I had no idea if the move was hurting Marik's overall strategy. I doubted it was but the idea was slightly comforting. Marik summoned Revival Jam and activated some spell card called Jam Breeding Machine. This wasn't good. "This machine produces one slime on every turn! But as long as this device is on the field, I can't summon any other monsters."

His plan must have hit Yami and I at the same time. He was going to summon Slifer, his God Card. I just hope Yami had something to counter it and fast!

Yami started his turn by sacrificing his two monsters to summon Buster Blader. This bad boy had 2600 attack points. Hopefully he puts his muscle to good use. He attacked the Revival Jam but it began to put itself back together again like it was a puddle of water. I was chuffed. I couldn't remember if the ability took life points but I was sure it did. How come it didn't do that now? "This is the Regenerative power of Revival Jam! No matter what you do, it will not die. You might as well attack a pool of water! Didn't I tell you? It is a shapeless invincible shield. As long as the jam remains, your monsters can't touch me." But they can still do him damage!

It was Marik's turn again and his slime machine generated a small slime ball that had 500 attack points. I thought about the possibility of attacking them outright but Marik was expecting that response. He played a spell card that stopped either player from attacking for three turns. That meant… Marik was going to use those three turns to get Slifer onto the field! My heart was racing but there was nothing I could do. I was forced to watch from the sidelines.

With each turn, Marik got another slime token and my heart raced even faster. "What do you feel now that you're locked up… imprisoned in that steel cage, Yugi? Humiliation? Despair? Sorrow?" The doll's face actually moved into an expression of utter hatred. "That's how I've felt my whole life! That is the fate of the Tomb Guardians!"

Now that he had three tokens, Marik stopped his machine. The tokens vanished when Marik pulled their cards off his Duel Disk and the skies began to darken. "Don't turn away, Yugi. This is Slifer!"

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck the ground right next to where I was standing and I yelped, jumping to get away. More bolts crackled in the dark clouds and I saw something. A dark shadow. I had to look away since the bolts of lightning were hurting my eyes but when I opened them, my heart dropped. The large red dragon would have towered over Kaiba's Blue Eyes. The long snake like body coiled together as it hovered in front of the still caged Yami. The god had two mouths: one was open to release its roar while the other remained closed; I didn't like that.

I was too entranced on the Dragon I didn't hear Yami and Marik's conversation but I knew the gist of Slifer's power so I was ok. Each card in Marik's hand increased its attack power by 1000 points and the closed mouth… did something. I was annoyed I couldn't remember it. What was it…? Huh? There was a tug at my ankle so I turned to look at it.

I screamed.

The tail of the god was wrapped securely around my ankle. It was tugging me towards it. I jumped to try and pull back but the tail kept pulling. I lost my balance and hit the ground, my arms catching the brunt of the fall. I gave a gasp of pain and the tugging stopped.

"Christine!" I heard Yami cry up at me. "Are you ok?!"

"Yeah!" I called back, lifting my head. "Don't worry about me!"

Yami didn't reply but that didn't mean he stopped worrying. I looked back to the tail. It remained where it was but it didn't touch me. Feeling petulant, I glared at it; it wouldn't do much but it made me feel better. It slunk back, almost like a chastised kid would, before it shot back to its main body.

What the heck was that? I breathed in an attempt to settle my heart rate but it refused to. Brilliant. I huffed before standing back on my feet and seeing what I had missed in my distraction. The cage surrounding Yami had just disappeared, his only defense was two facedown cards, Buster Blader and a defense position Kuriboh. Slifer on the other side of the field had 4000 attack points…

"Slifer attacks!" Marik cried.

The god's already open mouth opened wider to breathe a large blast of lightning, shooting it towards Buster Blader. One of Yami's facedown cards protected him; Lightforce Sword removed a card from Marik's hand and lowered Slifer's attack to 3000 points. Buster Blader went to retaliate but the dang jam got in the way! Marik also used the chance to activate another spell card called Card of Safe Return.

"This is a permanent spell card that allows me to draw three new cards every time my slime regenerates!" Marik explained. "And since I have five cards…"

Oh no… Slifer blasted Buster Blader once more and the large soldier exploded in the blast. I clenched onto Yami's jacket, hiding the lower half of my face into it so I didn't scream. "Come on, Yugi! It's your turn!"

"Just shut up, Marik." I hissed into the jacket.

My temper spiked, ice forming in my palms, but I held back enough so that I wasn't freezing the jacket. I wasn't going to let him see me snap. It was Yami's turn so I focused myself on his cards.

He sacrificed Kuriboh to play Dark Magician Girl in defense mode and that was when I remembered what Slifer's second mouth did. The god opened its second mouth and a blast of energy began to form in it.

"When the opponent summons a monster on their turn, Slifer deals it 2000 points of damage! The opponent himself isn't harmed, but if the cards is in attack mode, it loses 2000 attack points! If it's in defense mode, and it has less than 2000 defense points, it's instantly destroyed!"

Then how come Kuriboh wasn't destroyed? The puff ball is invincible apparently. The thought would have made me smile if I hadn't seen Slifer's attack. The blast shot from the god's second mouth and I faintly heard Yami cry out for a face down card to flip. When the smoke cleared, silk hats replaced the area where Dark Magician Girl was. He must have protected her just at the last second. Before ending his turn, Yami set two cards that went underneath two other hats.

Much to my dismay, Marik had a way to avoid the card limit of his hand. By playing Infinite Cards, Marik could now hold as many cards as he wanted and it would continue to raise Slifer's attack power. Marik attacked the right most hat with Slifer and even from my distance, I saw Yami flinch. Did he guess the right hat?! The attack connected with the hat and smoke erupted from the blast but I didn't hear the scream of Dark Magician Girl.

Instead, the attack was absorbed by Magic Cylinder, which prepared to launch Slifer's attack right back at him. At the same time, Yami activated Spellbinding Circle, which lowered the god's attack by 700, bringing it down to 4300. The blast was redirected but I could hear Marik's doll begin to laugh. "One word: No. Didn't I tell you? No mortal can raise a hand against the gods!" What?

Revival Jam jumped in the way of the attack, splattering into hundreds of little blobs before reforming. Thanks to the special summoning, Marik was able to draw three new cards that powered Slifer up even further. I was also unhelpfully reminded that Magic and Trap cards only affected gods for one turn before they vanished and I felt the ground open up from under me. Slifer was going to have 9000 attack points when he attacked!

I snapped my head to Dark Magician Girl just as the god attacked to see her blown to dust. I nearly collapsed onto the ground from fright but someone caught my arm before I could even move. Looking down, my eyes widened at who was there.

"Mokuba?"

The boy smiled up at me. He looked no different than he did two days ago when I saw him at the museum.

"Hey, Christine!" He chirped. "What's going on here?"

I was flabbergasted. How the heck did he know I was here? There was the clicking of boots and I knew exactly why he was here. To think he'd come out this far just to see Yami. I looked back to Yami, seeing if he had noticed our new arrivals but was surprised to see him on his knees. What?! No! Kaiba's voice shook me out of my surprise.

"Get on your feet, Yugi!" He barked.

Yami jumped, looking up to where Kaiba, Mokuba and I were all standing. "Your life as a Duelist doesn't end here! I know you can defeat God!" Yami still didn't say anything, staring wide eyed at Kaiba. "You are one of the few people I recognize as a Duelist! Where's your pride?! I won't allow you to lose miserably while I watch!" I guess that was the best motivational speech Yami was going to get out of his rival.

"You have to play my brother in this tournament!" Mokuba also called down to the spirit. "Don't lose to that bald guy!"

I had to fight not to laugh at the jab to Marik's doll. Leave it to Mokuba to make the dire situation funny.

"Can't you see it, Yugi? Our road of battle goes farther than the eye can see! Don't tell me that you're going to stop here?! If God stands in your way, mow him down! Have no regrets!"

Yami actually began to stand up. He actually looked a little annoyed, being talked down to by Kaiba, but I think it was exactly what he needed.

"All right, Kaiba…" I heard him say. "Stay right there! I am going to defeat God!"

As Yami made his turn, I gave a sideways glance towards Kaiba.

"Since when were you Yugi's motivational speaker?" I asked.

Kaiba didn't reply but Mokuba did.

"Because you were the only one here and shaking like a leaf." He innocently chirped.

"I was not!" My face a bright red in embarrassment.

"Were so!"

"Not!"

"Shut up, you two." Kaiba snapped. "Your squabbling will only distract the duelists."

Mokuba and I immediately stopped arguing, both of us deflated from the snap, and looked back to the duel. I had one last thing to say though. I whispered it to the boy next to me.

"You'd be shaking too if you saw what that thing was capable of."

Mokuba looked up at me but said nothing. He looked back to the duel, still not saying anything.

Yami had just played Big Shield Gardna and Slifer's second ability activated again. The beam shot towards Big Shield Gardna but it was still there since it had 2600 defense points. Mokuba had shouted that doing 2000 points of damage was incredible but Kaiba said nothing, his eyes were narrowed at the field below.

"My turn" I heard Marik call. "Now I have ten cards in my hand so Slifer has 10,000 attack points!"

"T-ten thousand!" Mokuba choked out. "Seto… His dragon gets stronger for every card in his hand!"

"And with him playing Infinite Cards, it'll only keep getting stronger." I told him.

"Yikes." Mokuba breathed. "How can Yugi beat a monster with infinite attack points?!"

Kaiba stiffened suddenly. Hm? I glanced over to him just as his eyes widened.

"Yugi!" He barked. "Listen! Nothing is infinite! That's just God's deception!"

Yami's eyes were narrowed up at Kaiba. So were mine. What was he…. It hit me. Kaiba was a freaking genius. I just hoped Yami figured it out as well.

I knew he did when I saw the smile on his face after Slifer had destroyed Big Shield Gardna.

"What are you two babbling about?!" Marik cackled. "God's power is infinite!"

Yami's smile didn't fade.

"I see…" His voice was soft but I could still hear it. "Kaiba, I know how to beat Slifer!"

Yes! "My next turn will probably be the last turn of our duel! At the end of the turn, only one of us will be left standing – you or me. That will be the winner.

"Have you lost your mind? Are you saying there's a way you can dig yourself out of your grave in one turn?"

"There is!"

Mokuba shifted beside me. His eyes were locked on the giant god floating above Marik's doll's head.

"Seto…" He went to say something but Kaiba shut him down.

"Quiet, Mokuba." His elder brother quickly snapped. "Don't say anything."

Mokuba shifted again. I settled a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Watch closely, Mokuba. This is the power of a true Duelist."

Yami had drawn his next card and even from my height, I saw his smirk widen. He had apparently drawn the card he needed. Yami flipped his facedown card over to reveal Monster Reborn, summoning back Buster Blader in attack mode. It threw off Marik for a second but he started to laugh. Since Buster Blader was brought back from the graveyard, Marik's Card of Safe Return activated and he was allowed to draw three more cards. I shivered when Slifer gave a loud roar as his attack points rose to 13,000. Slifer's second mouth opened as well, shooting a large blast towards Buster Blader but it didn't destroy him.

People would have called him insane but Yami called for the warrior to attack Slifer. I knew Marik's Revival Jam would take the hit but I knew Yami had a plan to handle it. Revival Jam exploded and Yami's plan sprung into action.

"I activate Brain Control!" Yami called, flipping the card onto his duel disk.

Marik began to laugh.

"I'm sorry, Yugi…" He jokingly apologized. "Brain Control won't work on God! Slifer attacks Buster Blader! This is the end!"

"But who said I played the card on Slifer?"

Marik's doll flinched. "The monster I brain controlled was…." The jam appeared even before Yami could say its name. "Revival Jam! It regenerates on my side of the field." The doll actually looked horrified at what was going on. "That's your cue, Marik! A monster came back from the dead! Draw three cards from the deck using your Card of Safe Return!" Marik did so without a word and the roar of Slifer was deafening. "But… Before Slifer attacks my monster, the Revival Jam was just summoned as one of my monsters and that activates Slifer's special ability of Automatic Attack!"

The god shot a beam towards the Jam, destroying it instantly. It only took a second before the Jam came right back on Yami's side of the field. The spirit's smirk almost split his face in two. "Now you have to draw three more cards!"

Marik had finally caught on. The horrified expression on the doll was echoed in Marik's voice. He knew that he was caught in Yami's infinite loop, forever drawing cards because of his own Revival Jam. Yami shook his head at the word infinite. "God's power isn't infinite. It's limited by the number of cards in your deck!"

That was the moment when Marik had run out of cards in his deck. He couldn't draw anymore and the rules dictated that if that should happen, you lose. Slifer gave one last roar before he melted away into white smoke. Marik's doll collapsed onto its knees and said nothing. Did he leave already? No… the eye was still on his forehead. Marik was still hanging around.

After a moment, Yami finally looked up at us. Mokuba and I immediately raced down the embankment to meet up with him. I popped next to Yami, his jacket held out to him. He didn't take it but he did take the arm holding it. He held it up to his face, looking at the area where I had fallen on earlier. "Are you ok? You had a bit of a fall up there."

"Oh!" I looked at my other arm to see that it was a little scratched up from my fall getting away from the Sky Dragon's tail. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you ok?"

Yami nodded, releasing my arm and finally taking his jacket. He popped it around his shoulders as Mokuba stepped over to us.

"Since I'm Battle City's Steering Committee Chairman, I'll judge the ante for this fight!" He held out a puzzle card and 'regular' card. "I'll give you, the winner, a puzzle card and this Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

"Thanks…" Yami said, almost hesitantly, making me nearly snort a laugh.

"But don't get too used to it!" Mokuba gave a Kaiba like snap. "Pretty soon they'll both belong to my big brother!"

"If you say so, Mokuba." I retorted to which the boy gave a huff at me.

Kaiba's boots suddenly cut through the still air. Yami and I both looked to him and I blinked at the slow shuffling of his deck. My face melted into annoyed expression. Was he really doing this now? Challenging Yami to a duel right after he gets the God card? He had made it down the stairs just as there was another shuffle of clothes behind us.

The doll had gotten to its feet. Mokuba had to jump back in order to get away quickly enough. Yami gave a sigh before looking back to it.

"Give it up, Marik." He simply said. "I won your God card fair and square!"

"Keh keh keh…" Marik chuckled. "Don't worry, Yugi. I didn't give it a second's thought. I know I'll get it back before long. But there's one thing I forgot to tell you…"

My eyes narrowed. "I will arrive in Domino City shortly and when I do, my plan will go into motion. I can see three views right now, like a three-dimensional broadcast. I can see you through the eyes of this 'doll'; I can see the city from the Freeway, and my last view is of Downtown Domino City through the eyes of one of the Rare Hunters in Town. I can see your friends in the crowd: the duelist named Jounouchi and the rest…"

No…. My fist clenched at my side. He was threatening my friends?! "Yes, the Rare Hunters have been keeping an eye on your friends so I can use them whenever I want."

"You freak!" I snapped at him.

Marik only laughed again. How dare he….

"You'd better go and join them quickly… before something bad happens to them." Marik gave a dramatic gasp, like he was on stage and had suddenly remembered something. "One more thing! The Rare Hunters know you're coming. By the time you get to your friends, they'll be ready… I hope you enjoy the game, Yugi."

The doll suddenly collapsed. The eye disappeared from its head so I knew Marik was gone. I growled at the collapsed man. I was so tempted to simply kick him.

Before I could even attempt to, my hand was grabbed and I was pulled down the underpass. Yami was running full tilt and I managed to finagle my hand so that my fingers weren't going to get pulled off.

"Yugi!" Kaiba barked making Yami stop. "Don't you try to run away!"

Yami gave a short growl before replying.

"Kaiba…" Yami growled. "I can't fight you right now."

His head snapped back towards Kaiba, looking right past me. "The Ghouls are after Jounouchi! I can't let my friends die!"

Kaiba never had the chance to respond as Yami turned to bolt off again, dragging me along behind him. I was thankful I had all of my belongings on me. Leaving them behind would have sucked.

Yami and I ran back into the city proper, dashing between buildings so that we could get on the main roads. We were quickly stopped when we reached the covered walkways that littered the outskirts of the business section.

"Yugi, right?" The bald man called over to us. "If you want to go any further, you'll have to beat us first."

"In a duel, he means!" The stringy man said next.

"Get out of the way!" Yami barked at the two, a distinctive growl to his voice.

"You wish!" The bald man retorted. "If we let you pass, Lord Marik will kill us…"

"Plus… if you refuse to duel us, your friend will be eliminated immediately!" The stringy man added on.

Yami growled again. The two doofuses then tried to decide which of them would go first. Their little game of rock paper scissors kept ending in ties. Yami gave a sigh.

"Can you handle these guy, Christine?" He asked me in a sad voice. "Please?"

Oh, how I wanted to… but….

"Would if I could, dear." I replied, leaning gently into his shoulder. "Mortal."

Yami didn't even react to the word 'dear' or the leaning into his form. He gave another sigh though.

"Oh yeah… I forgot that... Forget I mentioned it."

The idiots game had continued and Yami was not having it anymore. He gave another growl before snapping. "Hurry up!"

"Sorry, Yugi!" The bald man apologized.

"We keep tying!" The stringy man huffed. "We can't decide who goes first!"

The familiar boot sound was back. It was coming towards us from behind. I turned and gasped to see Kaiba.

"Then come at us as a tag team, you pigs!" Kaiba snapped. "Yugi and I will pair up!"

The CEO snapped his deck into place. "Don't get the wrong idea, Yugi. One of the reasons why I held Battle City was to wipe out these card-counterfeiting scum! It's not like I'm lending you or your friends a hand!"

"Okay…" Yami agreed after a second. "Let's go then…"

I took the moment to step away and get out of the blast radius. I still could hear everything said though.

The duel was short and simple. It started out the same as any other game but… Kaiba's God card – Obelisk – was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was shaking just as badly as when Slifer was out.

I hoped this was the last time I was shaking like a leaf in front of a Duel Monster.

 **Tee Hee hee? This isn't the last time we will see Slifer doing something strange... XD.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed!**


	7. An Impossible Tag-Team

**Sorry for the delay. I've been busy but I have found time for writing. I have one extra chapter ready to put out when I want to. Thanks for sticking with me.**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything I mention in this chapter. I only own Christine, my OC.***

Geez, what number did that make it now? Six or seven? I've lost count!

I've been walking with Yami and Kaiba for what seems like hours but it has only been about one hour. It seemed like every five to ten minutes, another pair of Ghouls popped out of the shadows and challenged Yami and Kaiba to a duel. I dealt with damage control: moving bystanders out of the way and making sure none of the Ghouls were going to pull something funny in the middle of their duel.

Yami was extremely panicked though. I did my best to keep him calm while we looked around the city but each time we were stopped, the shaking of his hand only worsened. I couldn't hold it in front of Kaiba but I did my best to show that I was there.

"Don't worry so much, Yugi." Kaiba chuckled when we walked a good way after the last duel. "We'll know where to go soon enough."

Right. He had sent Mokuba back to their headquarters in order to find Jounouchi's Duel Disk signal. It seemed awfully nice but after knowing Kaiba for a while, it was obviously for a different purpose. "Aren't we an odd pair, huh? Here I am, walking shoulder to shoulder with the man I swore would be my lifelong rival. And all I time I want nothing more than to beat you right here and now."

I'm sure Yami and I gave him the same dour look.

"Kaiba…" Yami sighed. "Right now, I just want to make sure my friends are safe!"

"I don't care at all about your friends!"

"Ouch…" I muttered. "Stab me in the back while you're at it."

"But… We both share one purpose: The Ghouls. Rare cards hunters who step on the hearts of those who love collectible card games. I'm going to smash their operation and then I'm going to smash every single one of them, individually!"

Kaiba then glanced to Yami. "Yugi… I joined forces with you because together, we are an irresistible prize. We'll attract the god-hunting ghouls and kill them! We've already got rid of a few of these scum."

"How did you get your god card, Kaiba?" Yami asked.

"Hmph." Kaiba gave a scary smile. "The god card chose me, that's all. And not just that one card… All three of them! They will choose me! Out of every person in the world!"

I figured Kaiba would have kept going but he was distracted from a radio call from someone. I gave a sigh into Yami's ear.

"Kaiba needs to freaking chill." I muttered to Yami.

"Hmmm." It wasn't an agreeing sound.

"What's up?"

Yami couldn't answer me as Kaiba turned his head back towards us.

"Well, Yugi." Kaiba perked up. "We've located your friend! I'll expect some thanks."

Both Yami and I smiled brightly but mine faded with Kaiba's next words. "Don't get the wrong idea. I know that Ghouls gather where they can find easy prey. That's the only reason I tracked him down!"

Kaiba turned away to keep walking but Yami gave a snap.

"I do thank you for finding Jounouchi, Kaiba, but don't insult him… or me!" Yami was giving a harsh glare to his rival. "Jounouchi has become a fine duelist!"

"Hahahahahaha! Him? A Duelist?! That brickhead who cried when I beat him!"

"I swore I would fight him in Battle City and it'll be a true duel between Duelists!"

"Hmph! If I remember correctly, Jounouchi's a level 2 Duelist. I don't know how he made it into this tournament, since only level 5 and up are allowed."

"Your system was hacked by the Ghouls yesterday." I commented dryly. "They saw a card they liked so they messed with your records to make sure they got it."

Kaiba gave a sour look but I didn't back down with my own in return.

"In any case… the moment I see him, I'll declare him disqualified!"

"Jerk!"

Kaiba only laughed and continued walking. Yami gave a sigh. He took me by the wrist and we followed after Kaiba. I was still brooding so I didn't fight back.

We walked for a few minutes when I felt Yami flinch. I glanced to him then to where he was looking. It was a shadow by the time I turned and Kaiba had lifted the arm holding his duel disk to protect himself. The man landed on the ground and the fluttering robe gave away who he was. Half of his face was covered with a smiling mask.

"A ghoul!"

The small man didn't answer. He only turned his head to give a soft laugh.

"I gotcha!" He finally cheered. "I gotcha!"

Gotcha?! I turned to Kaiba and understood what he was talking about. A large metal contraption was wrapped around Kaiba's duel disk. Whatever it was, it would stop Kaiba from dueling anybody. "Now that the Duelist's Chastity Belt is on, your God cards are locked in place… You look so sad, Kaiba… Hee he he he he." A Chastity Belt?!

Kaiba looked anything but upset. He looked royally pissed.

"You scum! You'd better laugh while you can. No one touches my duel disk and lives!"

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Kaiba. There's a key that'll unlock it…"

The man pointed directly upwards. "Up… there!" We all looked up to where he was pointing. On the roof of the nearby skyscraper stood another man. I had a hard time seeing him but I figured that he also had a mask on his face. In his hand was a small object that fluttered in the small breeze. A key? "You see? We'll be on the roof that the building. Got it? You'll come too, Yugi; if you don't, Jounouchi will be eliminated… got it?"

Yami gave a growl in response. "So come on up! To the Arena of Death!" The small man began to jump up the side of the building, towards where his companion was. I glared as his form got smaller and smaller. I was woken by Kaiba's growl.

"We have no choice, Yugi!"

"Agreed." Yami growled.

I wasn't going to leave these two so I followed after them. Kaiba must have been too angry to even say anything against it. We took the elevator as high as we could before walking up the remaining stairs. The roof was mostly space for a large glass skylight. Two men, one of them being the man from the street, were already standing on the glass like that was where they were going to duel.

"We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we?" The smaller man snickered. "We are the assassins of the Ghouls. I am Lunas!"

"I am Umbras!" The taller man added on. His mask made it look like he was a frowning demon.

Yami nor Kaiba replied and the two Ghouls didn't seem to take offense at this. "All right… Here's the key… Come and get it." Umbras dropped the key onto the glass near his feet. The arrogance…

No thanks.

These guys ran with Marik so I hardly cared about my powers being seen; they probably already knew about them. I created an ice stalagmite that picked up the key from its chain. Everyone froze in place when it began to move towards Kaiba. I made sure it stopped far enough away so that the point didn't stab him. The CEO didn't take it, his eyes suddenly turned to me.

"I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of you going over and bending down at their feet." I replied.

I then looked over at Kaiba, a blank expression on my face. "It is my thanks for finding Jounouchi. Nothing more." Kaiba didn't reply but he did take the key from the ice. With a wave of my hand, the ice dissolved into nothing. I released Yami's wrist and walked towards the side of the small arena so that I was out of the way. I heard Kaiba unlock the 'Chastity Belt' as the Lunas began to explain the rules.

"This is a two on two duel!" He began simply enough. "Duelists who lose their life points will be removed from the game! The team who defeats both opposing players wins! But be careful… when I say 'removed from the game', I mean killed!"

I would expect nothing less from Marik's Rare Hunters by now. "We are standing on the 13th floor, the roof of his building! The skylight under our feet leads all the way to the ground floor. In other words, this pane of glass is the only thing supporting our lives! Each one of the four sections has its own explosive device attached to it! The moment the life point counter reaches zero, the device will destroy the glass. We call it the 'Explosive Tag Team Match of Death!' Sounds fun, huh?"

I didn't think it was fun. I fought to not give an audible whimper at the word 'explosive.' I saw Yami's fist clench slightly when the smallest squeak escaped me. I kept my breaths even and was eventually able to calm down. Yami and Kaiba still hadn't said anything. Their eyes were hidden in the shadows of their hair. "Too scared to speak…?" Kaiba snapped his head up then.

"Is that all you have to say?" He snapped. "In that case, I'll answer with my deck and it's furious!"

The two rare hunters only smiled at the words. They seemed awfully confident. I didn't like it.

Since this was a tag team duel, the teams switched sides each turn. It would start with Lunas, then go to Yami, then Umbras and finally Kaiba. I remained stock still, hoping that I wouldn't get in the way.

To start the duel, Lunas simply played two facedown cards. Why no monsters? Right, nobody could attack on the first turn and a trap would not be helpful. Yami replied by playing Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode. I could see the furrows in his brow from concentrating from where I was standing. There wasn't anything I could do but I hoped that I could at least be voice of reason if something happened. Knowing my luck, probably not.

Umbras was the next to go and he played the first monster for the opposing side. Shining Abyss was a hulking beast that glowed extremely brightly; the light reflecting off the window was not helping my eyes. Lunas immediately jumped to activate one of his face down cards the moment the monster hit the field.

"The moment my partner's monster is summoned, I activate this face down card! The spell card: Mask of Brutality!"

That didn't sound good. And it wasn't. Attaching it onto Shining Abyss, the original 1600 attack points jumped to 2300. It was only the first turn!

It was then Kaiba's turn and I could feel the smirk coming from his face even from my distance. Great… He played a face down card then summoned Vorse Raider in attack mode. What was he going to do with that? Sacrifice it?

Lunas had just started his second turn when he activated another spell card: Mask of the Accursed, attaching it to Yami's Magnet Warrior. If I remembered that card right, the Magnet Warrior couldn't attack or change its battle position and Yami was going to lose 500 life points for every turn it was still on the field. It was a sitting duck! If I were in Yami's shoes, I'd have to get rid of it somehow.

And try Yami did. He tried to sacrifice it to summon another monster but Lunas activated another of his face down cards. A trap card this time. "Permanent trap! Mask of Restrict! How do you like them apples?! As long as this permanent trap remains, you can't sacrifice any monsters! Got it?!" Oh boy…

"Even if you do have god cards, you can't summon them without sacrifices!" Umbras reminded. "Your gods are useless!"

In response, Yami played a card face down and summoned Kuriboh in defense mode. It was better than nothing.

Umbras took his turn and attacked Kaiba's Vorse Raider with Shining Abyss. Kaiba appeared to have planned it as he activated his trap card then. Ring of Destruction would destroy Shining Abyss and Umbras would take 2300 points of damage. It would have been awesome had Lunas not but in again. He activated a counter trap that transferred the trap to Vorse Raider instead. The explosion shook Kaiba but the annoyed expression stayed on the CEO's face.

"Nee hee hee…" Lunas chuckled out in his annoying voice. "That's the strength of Light and Darkness!"

"Our teamwork is unbeatable in a two-on-two battle… and not it's going to be a two-on-one!"

No!

"Kaiba!" I screamed as Shining Abyss began to attack the defenseless CEO.

There was a big bang but not on the level of an explosion then. There were puffs of smoke and when I blinked, there were far more Kuribohs then I remembered there being before. They blanketed Yami and Kaiba's side of the field. So much so, it was hard to even see their faces.

"Now there's enough Kuribohs to protect both of us… and Kaiba won't lose any life!" Yami happily called through the fluff cloud.

I gave a loud sigh of relief, alerting one of the Kuribohs to my presence. It jumped out of the cloud and over to me. Happy to have a companion, I held it close, clutching it to my chest. It didn't seem to mind my tight grip, only waving its little arms at his friends.

I tuned out Kaiba griping to Yami about protecting him; it would be the same spiel over and over again. I returned to the duel when Kaiba made his move. The CEO had made a huff when he drew and it made me curious as to what card he pulled. He simply played a face down card and summoned Gadget Solider in defense mode.

Lunas became a little brat in my book again when he played a card that stopped the Kuribohs multiplying. The one in my arms faded away with one last little cry that actually made me a little mad. What also made me mad was that the spell card would also take 300 of Yami's life points each turn. Combined with the Mask of Accursed, he was losing 800 points per turn! It also didn't help that he finally summoned a monster to destroy Kuriboh to fully stop the multiplying from restarting. I crossed my empty arms in annoyance, even stomping my foot in the irritation.

"That maybe all I can do this turn but it's now your turn!" Lunas chirped happily. "Don't forget, you lose 800 points!"

"Thanks for reminding me." Yami huffed, not happy with the predicament at all.

I had to make a note of life points. Both Lunas and Umbras were still at 4000 while Kaiba was at 2100 and Yami was at 2700. I could feel the shaking in my boots starting up again. I whacked my hip to make them stop. They would both be fine. I had to believe that.

Yami stared at the card he pulled from his deck for a long while. His expression pulled in worry. What did he pull to make him react like that?

"What's wrong, Yugi?" Kaiba almost teased. "Don't tell me you don't have any monster cards with less than five stars…? I'm sure you know you're defenseless if you don't play a monster this turn."

I saw Yami glance to Kaiba, his expression unreadable from my angle. "Well, it can't be helped if you only have high level monsters… A card that requires a sacrifice is worse than useless right now… Maybe it should just go to the graveyard…" Yami's face brightened suddenly. I could only lift an eyebrow in confusion. What were they talking about?

Yami must have gotten something from that whole conversation because he was able to place a card face down and end his turn. Why no monster?

Umbras laughed at the lack of monsters and ritual summoned one of his own. The Masked Beast was a horrifying amalgamation of parts and ligaments. I nearly gagged from the sight alone. With 3200 attack points though, it had the power to wipe out both Yami and Kaiba with no problem.

My heart dropped to my stomach when it began to charge at Yami.

I was just about to scream when Kaiba's Gadget Soldier jumped in the way of the attack. Yami didn't let the moment marinate as he quickly played Card Destruction, forcing all of the players to discard their hands. Oh! This is what Kaiba wanted! He was going to bring a high-level monster back from the graveyard and bypass the Mask of Restrict! Nice thinking, Kaiba!

Sure enough, Kaiba did just that using Monster Reborn to bring back a discarded Blue Eyes. I never thought I would be so happy to see the dragon. "Now I understand, Yugi. I know the key element in winning a tag team match!" I was actually looking forward to a nice cooperative line from the two but I was glad I didn't get my hopes up. "It's how well you use your partner! You played Card Destruction so I could play my ultimate monster! Just as I expected!"

I could feel Yami's annoyed expression from where I was standing. "It's just logic. But you think that somehow this makes us friends! What a fool! Now I owe you nothing! Yugi… the next time you attack, don't expect my Blue Eyes to help you!"

I gave a loud groan.

"Can't you two get along?!" I shouted at the two men. "I swear, you two are no better than children!"

Kaiba huffed at me but Yami gave no reply; I bet he agreed with me. The CEO and I gave each other harsh expressions until he was forced to look away when Lunas called.

"It's your battle phase, Kaiba!" Lunas called. "I know you're proud of your big bad dragon but don't forget that our Masked Beast has 3200 attack points! Blue Eyes only has 3000! You can't win!"

Yami's next words made me snap my head towards him, eyebrow raised into my hairline.

"Well, Kaiba?" Yami was almost goading him. "What are you waiting for? Attack!"

"What?!" Kaiba gasped.

"Not you too!" I groaned.

"If you attack now, Blue Eyes can beat the Masked Beast!" Yami seemingly ignored my shout. "You can either trust me… or let your dragon go right back to the Graveyard."

I nearly slapped myself in the forehead. Was he really doing the same thing Kaiba was? Oooohh…. If only I were over there, I'd slap him silly. "Show your courage, Kaiba." I could see his flipping smirk all the way from over here!

Kaiba took the taunt quickly enough. Blue Eyes shot its attack towards the Masked Beast and I jumped when the loud explosion hit my ears. When the smoke cleared, Blue Eyes was still on the field while the Masked Beast was gone from sight. Umbras' life points had dropped to 3700.

"But how?!" Lunas gasped.

"How did the Masked Beast…" Umbras gasped as well.

Yami's chuckle cut through the gasps. All eyes turned to him.

"I used Card Destruction to discard my entire hand!" Yami reminded. "Among my hand was a monster card whose power is activated when it goes to the Graveyard!"

Ooooooh….. I forgot about that card…. Sneaky spirit!

Kaiba wasn't amused at Yami's forethought, huffing before ending his turn. Lunas seemed annoyed when he made his next turn. He played Melchid the Four-Faced Beast in defense mode and one card face down. Then it was Yami's turn, he once again lost 800 points from the continuous spell cards, lowering his life points to 1900. The spirit played one card face down as well before playing Alpha the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. It easily destroyed the Four-Faced Beast but I saw the visible half of Lunas' face grimace. He was obviously waiting for something and I didn't want to know what.

Umbras began his turn by playing Nuvia the Wicket, a creepy two-faced monster that terrified me to no end. It was 1000 points lower than Blue Eyes….. Why was he attacking the Dragon?!

"Mask of Weakness!" Lunas cried, flipping his face down card over.

Attaching this card to Blue Eyes, it would halve its attack points! That would mean Blue Eyes would only have 1500 points! Nuvia had just shot its attack when Yami flipped over his own facedown card. Mystical Rift Panel would take the Mask of Weakness and move it onto Nuvia instead. Blue Eyes shot a blast in retaliation, destroying Nuvia in the process. Umbras' life points dropped even further, going down to 1700. "Partner! Are you ok?!" Umbras wasn't happy with Lunas' concern.

"I attacked because you told me to!" Umbras snapped at his partner. "And… and now look at me, you little shit!"

"What did you call me, you big moron?!"

"Hey, hey…" Yami was teasing once more. "Be nice! You can't beat us with that kind of teamwork!"

Kaiba was silent for minutes on end after that. I stared what little I could see of him; what could be going through his head?

I had to look away when Umbras finished his turn with one card face down. Kaiba was quick to use his turn to attack Umbras. Why would he do that? It clicked when Umbras snarked at Kaiba.

"Too bad, Kaiba!" Umbras called. "I knew you'd try something like that!"

"Heh." Kaiba snickered back and I saw he turned his head towards Lunas. "You got away with your life, shrimp! You were lucky this time. My Blue Eyes White Dragon could've attacked either of you… you're a smaller target but it doesn't matter. If I had aimed at you, would your moron of a partner use that spell card to protect you? I don't think so…"

My jaw dropped. He was actually helping to turn the Rare Hunters against each other! A relieved smile spread across my face. Thank goodness! Yami seemed to share my enthusiasm as he beamed towards Kaiba.

Lunas took his turn and played a card that made the smile drop off of Yami's face. Chosen One wasn't a card I knew very well but I took the terrified expressions as a bad sign. The top like object spun round and round before ejecting one of the cards. The released card melded into a terrifying masked monster.

"Luck is on my side!" Lunas cheered. "I special summon Masked Beast of Guardius!"

With 3300 attack points, it was stronger than Blue Eyes! It also wasn't good that the summon was able to repair the damage between the opposing partners. I snapped my head towards Yami and Kaiba, hoping that they had a plan. Their expressions said otherwise.

"I could kill Yugi right now…" Lunas mused, making me flinch. "Alpha the Magnet Warrior is in attack mode and you'll take 1900 points of damage if I destroy him…"

No…. Tears welled up in my eyes. No….

Kaiba gave a huff of laughter. It made all eyes turn to him.

"So now that he has a decent monster, the timid shrimp thinks he's a big man."

Lunas hated the repetition of the word 'shrimp' as he growled once more. "I have cards in my hand that will make my Blue Eyes even stronger. Go ahead and kill Yugi; and after you do, my Blue Eyes will crush you on my next turn!"

Wiping away the moisture in my eyes, I narrowed my eyes at Kaiba. The CEO wasn't making any sense. Was… He was bluffing.

And Lunas didn't even notice.

Blue Eyes was destroyed in a large blast of smoke and fire. I jumped when the dragon gave one last cry before fully fading away. Kaiba's face seemed so pained even as he called to Yami to make his move. The destruction of Blue Eyes seemed to make a big impact on Kaiba's temper.

Yami summoned Gamma the Magnet warrior from his hand. Then, in a blink of an eye - with all three of the Magnet Warriors on the field – the three monsters were able to pull off some Transformers maneuver to become a single monster. I suddenly questioned as to how Yami was able to summon it but remembered. It was a special ability, not sacrificing. It went around the Mask of Restrict's ability.

Valkyrion the Magna Warrior had 3500 attack points – 200 more than the Masked monstrosity across the way. "Now, Yugi! Crush the monster that destroyed my Blue Eyes!" Yami seemingly ignored Kaiba's command. I followed his harsh eyes to look at the two across the window. They weren't shaking in their boots. They had something up their sleeves. The spirit simply played a card face down.

"Kaiba!" Yami simply said. "We don't have time. Can you get rid of that burning vengeance in your heart? If you can do it, I'll attack!"

What? Kaiba and I must have had the same thought as we stared confused at Yami. I kept my eyes on Yami for a second longer when Kaiba's voice came back, infinitely calmer.

"Yugi… attack."

Yami did with no hesitation.

Lunas seemed awfully happy with the destruction of his monster and the lowering of his life points to 3800. Masked Beast of Guardius had a special ability that, when it was destroyed, allowed Lunas to play a spell card called Mask of Possession immediately. Any monster wearing the mask was under Lunas and Umbras' control. The thought made my blood run cold. This was what they had planned. Umbras was allowed to call out an attack against Yami with his own monster.

Yami's face split into a smirk and I knew that the ending of the duel was fast approaching.

"If you learn one thing from this… remember that the reason you lost was because of anger and vengeance!"

The face down card Yami had was de-fusion, splitting Valkyrion back into the three Magnet Warriors. The action must have also destroyed the Mask of Possession as it vanished at the same time. Kaiba took the moment to play Soul Exchange, allowing him to use 'Lunas' cards to summon one of his own.

The one that made me shake in my boots once more.

Obelisk towered over duel and with a cry from Kaiba, he flung his fist down into Umbras. The simple punch was enough to lower his life points to zero. I barely had enough time to cover my ears before the explosion of the bomb under his feet exploded. The cushion did nothing to block the sound but it made me feel better. There was a ringing in my ears from the sound and it took me a few minutes to recover my hearing.

A new scream made me uncover my ears.

Lunas had collapsed to the ground, clutching at his head in pain. He was gasping out sounds that suspiciously sounded like he was trying to say a name. I jumped over to Yami, who gripped onto my wrist like he was scared I was suddenly going to vanish. Lunas suddenly straightened up, his face completely blank.

"I saw the whole thing…" Marik's voice echoed out of Lunas' mouth. "Obelisk... the power of god… Not bad, not bad."

"His voice…" Kaiba gasped. "The way he moves… It can't be…"

"It is." Yami replied. "He's being controlled by another person. The owner of that is voice is the leader of the Ghouls, Marik! The man who holds the third God card!"

Marik chuckled at Kaiba's harsh expression.

"Nice to meet you, Kaiba…" Marik seemed pleased behind Lunas' blank face. "Thank you for putting up with my men; it bought me some time. My plan's moving along smoothly…"

I didn't like the way he said that. "By now, I've assessed both of your decks through the eyes of my Rare Hunters; I doubt that either of you will pose any threat to me, even with the god cards. My sun dragon Ra is more powerful than either of your god; it is the ultimate card!"

I remembered that it had some bullshit effects; I wasn't sure it was the most powerful of the God Cards but…. I was biased towards Slifer. "As for you, Yugi… I've set up something special. You're the one I've been waiting to fight for a thousand years! And that battle can only end with your death!" Yami didn't reply to the taunt but Marik didn't seem upset at it. "The third act is about to begin; I hope you like how I set the stage. Your friends and co-stars are waiting for you, the main character."

That made my blood run cold. Did he get his hands on Jounouchi or Anzu?!

"You freak…" I hissed over to the puppet.

The puppet actually gave a slight smile at the words.

"It'll be my best puppet show yet."

"Marik!" Yami finally snapped. "What'd you do to Jounouchi?!"

"That's right, your friends are already my pawns…"

Yami actually flinched. I maneuvered my hand so that I was gripping onto his wrist now. "Come to your friends, Yugi! And fight Jounouchi on the stage of death!"

Lunas finally collapsed onto the ground and moved no more. There wasn't even a flinch when Yami snapped Marik's name at the crumpled man. A beep was all it took for Yami to snap his head back towards Kaiba.

"Kaiba, please! Tell me where Jounouchi is!"

Kaiba didn't reply. He stepped towards the crumpled body of Lunas, pulling out two of the clear Puzzle cards that were in his pocket. With a smirk, Kaiba held one out to Yami.

"Take this!" Kaiba said. "These ghouls had puzzle cards! One for each of us."

Yami stood stock still so I had to reach out and take it for him. When he still didn't move, I rolled my eyes and stuck it with the rest of the cards while Kaiba kept talking. "I've got six puzzle cards now, therefore I have earned the right to play in the final round…." Kaiba straightened up then. "You also have six, Yugi. As the host of the tournament, I wish you luck."

Kaiba turned away and began fiddling with the six puzzle cards. "Now, let's see where the finals are…" Yami suddenly snapped, making me jump.

"Kaiba! I don't care where the finals are right now! I have to save my friends from the Ghouls!"

Kaiba cocked his head towards the two of us. He looked like he was having fun riling Yami up.

"I admit that we won that tag-team battle because of teamwork but in a real battle, you can only trust yourself! Other people get in the way. That is my philosophy as a Duelist! I walk alone; that's my way of life."

"But Kaiba! You should know that you have to fight to protect what's important to you!"

Kaiba had no snappy reply to that. He probably had no time to come up with one as his duel disk began whirling. A visual panorama of the city appeared through a small projector in the disk and I could see the blinking light above the construction area of the new stadium. That must have been where the finals were located. But why at a construction zone?

"I see…" Kaiba mused. "Now I know where it is."

"Kaiba! I don't have time!"

"Then let me ask you this."

Kaiba was almost snapping back. "If the friends you protect turn against you - if the only way you can move forward is by beating them with life and death at stake – could you trample your friends on the way to your destiny?"

Yami flinched again. I turned my head to see his face dropping into an almost devastated expression. I tightened my grip on his wrist and he tilted his head towards me. I didn't say anything but it seemed to give him a little confidence.

"I don't know… but… I know where I'll find the answer."

Kaiba's smile grew. Just then, a helicopter steered up towards the building. I was surprised that I didn't hear the sound of the wings as it approached. The door on the side opened up to reveal Mokuba.

"Seto!" He called to his elder brother. "I found Jounouchi, just like you asked me to! He's in section F, area 5362!"

I snapped my head towards Kaiba, a deeply annoyed expression on my face.

"So that was the beep, huh?"

Kaiba gave a chuckle before walking towards the helicopter.

"Get in the chopper, Yugi!" Kaiba laughed. "We're heading to where your friend awaits!"

And where Marik was pulling his strings.

 **EEEEEHHHHHH! Next chapter is the one that I dread! *Runs screaming into the distance***

 **Marik walks into the room: What's her problem?**

 **Bakura who had been sitting next to Robyn as she churns out words: She's always like that, you get used to it.**

 **Marik: Huh...**

 **Yami from across the room looks into the camera like on the Office: Why are they even here?**


	8. Losing Control

**Hey guys! Last day of summer break before classes tomorrow so I thought I'd post the next chapter. I'm excited to finally be here! I'm still working hard on the next chapters and hope to be done with this part of the Saga soon.**

 **Yami Bakura: Don't get your hopes up is what she really means.**

 **Shut up!**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own Christine, my OC, and other made up characters.***

The helicopter ride was quiet for a while. I was sitting across from Yami in the crowded space, cradling a bottle of water in my hands; Mokuba was nice enough to reach me one from the small bag the pilot had.

Speaking of Mokuba, I saw him and his brother muttering from across the helicopter. I didn't know what they were talking about but the smirk on Kaiba's face was annoying. I kept my temper in check – if only for a moment.

"Yugi…" Kaiba didn't even look at the spirit next to him. "The leader of the Ghouls… Marik, was it? As far as I'm concerned, he's just another enemy, like you. But… how much do you know about him? Does he really have the Sun Dragon Ra?"

"I've never seen him." Yami replied. "All I know is, like me, he has a Millennium Item…"

"More of your occult nonsense…."

"Not like me. His Millennium Rod has terrible power."

"The power to brainwash and control people, eh? I find it hard to believe."

My crunching of the water bottle was loud in the quiet space but it didn't seem Kaiba heard me. I swear, something magical could happen right in front of Kaiba's face and he still wouldn't believe it. I bet he even didn't believe that I picked up the key with a bunch of ice earlier. Mokuba did hear me though. He popped over to sit next to me.

"Are you all right, Christine?" He whispered.

Without replying, I looked down to the water bottle. It was half empty but I had mangled it to the point where it was less bottle shaped. I ended up taking a deep breath, still not looking at him.

"I'm tired, Mokuba." I ended up replying. "Tired and stressed. Today has been very long and it's barely even started."

Mokuba didn't reply but I felt almost pity waft off of him. I opened my squished bottle and took another drink. "I'd just like to know that my friends are ok." I heard Mokuba's hair ruffle slightly, probably from nodding his head.

It was quiet except for Yami and Kaiba growling at each other; I didn't want to listen to it. Mokuba's voice woke me from my blank reverie.

"Seto! There! Section F, area 5362! Domino Pier!"

Domino Pier….? Yami's eyes were wide in surprise. He recognized the significance just like I had. It was where we began Duelist Kingdom. As I gazed out the window, it looked the same as it did the last time I was here. I highly doubted Marik knew the significance of the place nor did I think he cared.

We touched down and Yami was quick to jump out of the helicopter. I followed along behind, jumping out behind Mokuba. Over the thumping of the wings of the helicopter, I couldn't hear anything that was being said. The first thing I was able to hear was Mokuba speaking to Kaiba once the wings finally stopped spinning. "What's going on?! Jounouchi's acting really weird…" Kaiba, of course, didn't reply, his eyes fixed on Yami's back.

"Jounouchi, listen to me!" Yami almost pleaded. "I want to fight you in Battle City from the bottom of my heart! But… I want us to fight as true duelists! We should fight with our pride on the lines not our lives!"

Their lives?! I had flashbacks of when Yami first was released and he would constantly bet his life in the games. This was definitely worse. "Remember your promise! This is a trap, Jounouchi! Marik is controlling you! This isn't the battle we're supposed to have!"

Jounouchi immediately turned around and began to walk away. My heart dropped at the sight. My friend turned around slightly to give a horrible smile.

"Follow me, Yugi!" Jounouchi smiled. "The Duel of Death is over here!"

I tried to step over to Yami but Kaiba stopped me. I glared at him but his stony expression didn't even turn to me. I was forced to stand with the CEO and Mokuba and follow slowly behind. I caught sight of Anzu and over the breeze, I could hear Marik's voice through Anzu's mouth. My fists clenched. He got both of my friends…. Kaiba kept blocking me from racing to Yami's side so I was forced to watch as he walked out towards a wooden platform with a large anchor hanging above.

Over the sea air, I could faintly hear Marik explain the rules of his little 'game.' The two would duel but with a time limit. In 40 minutes, the bomb at the top of the anchor would explode and the weight would pull the loser – or both of them if no one won – into the ocean. I nearly collapsed onto my knees. The thought of the explosion was far from my mind with the addition of drowning added. It downright terrified me.

"Seto, we can't let them do this!" Mokuba cried. "We have to help!"

Kaiba was actually at a loss for words. He stared shell shocked at what was occurring in front of him for a long moment before he agreed with Mokuba, he had to save them.

The hand wrapped around my mouth before I could even speak.

I let out a muffled scream in retaliation. "Seto!" Mokuba cried, getting Kaiba's attention. The CEO turned around to see the both of us held back by two men. The one holding Mokuba had a knife held up to his throat. I had a horrible flashback of the first time I called 911 for someone. I tried to fight back but the man holding me held back tightly.

"Stay right where you are!" The man holding Mokuba chuckled. "Unless you want to feed the fishes too!"

Kaiba gave an audible growl, keeping his eyes right on Mokuba. I kept my eyes on Yami's far away outline. His eyes though were on Jounouchi. I was alone over here.

I could hear nothing of the duel, only my heart pounding loudly in my ears. When fireballs pounded into Yami, I could feel the cold streaks of tears streaking down my cheeks. I went to turn away but the Ghoul holding me yanked my hair to turn me back.

"Now now, your majesty." He chuckled. "You wouldn't want to miss the best part!"

More tears escaped my eyes then. Yugi took over not long after that and even when Fireballs began to pelt him, all I felt was colder. Not even Yugi was safe. Marik was allowing no quarter against him.

Why should I still be holding back?

 ** _No…_**

Why was I allowing Marik to do this to both of them?

 ** _Christine, please…._**

He was hurting my friends… I should be doing the same…

 ** _This isn't you, Christine. Please…_**

I was tired of letting Marik do as he pleased. Now, I was angry.

Everything went black. My vision clouded over like a perfect blindfold. It was simply cold and dark. And I liked it like that. Not even the brightest fire could thaw me at that moment. I was content.

Then Mokuba's voice broke through that cold. It was quiet, shaking even. He was…. afraid?

"Christine?"

My eyes blinked open. The sea air felt strange on my skin, wiping away moisture that hadn't been there before. I was free of the Ghoul's grasp but how? I looked up to see Mokuba and Kaiba, both staring wide-eyed at me. I shook my head. I was slightly dizzy, my power exhausted. "Christine?" I looked back to the boy.

"What happened?" I asked.

Mokuba pointed to something behind me. I turned around and everything went cold again.

The Ghoul that had been holding me had been frozen solid. His position almost like Meredith's after she had been transformed into Red Lyrium. He had been screaming, his mouth wide open. The ice encasing him was still cracking so….

I looked down at my hand. The remnants of my power were still floating like steam, floating up into my face.

Did I….?

I looked to Mokuba again. The look of terror on his face told me everything.

I did… I had just frozen a mortal.

I bolted before either of them could stop me.

I turned my back on Kaiba and Mokuba and dashed away from the pier as fast as I could. I didn't care about keeping track about where I was; I only wanted to get away.

When my legs couldn't carry me any further, I collapsed onto my knees and my head into my hands. I gasped for air through exhaustion and tears.

How could I have done that? I worked to have enough self-control to avoid situations like this but…

I had no one to blame but myself.

I gasped out a sob. I hurt a mortal… I lost my temper, my control and most likely killed or nearly killed the man. I might have screamed in self-loathing if I knew that I was alone.

"Christine?" A familiar voice called out.

I looked up to see Kokona, the cashier from my normal store. She was carrying a shopping bag and what looked like a new broom to sweep up her house or the store. Her eyes were wide as she stared at me. "Oh my gosh, girlie. What the heck happened?" The girl dropped her shopping bag and broom to fall at my side. Wiping away tears, Kokona was able to softly calm me down. "Christine?"

"I hurt someone…" I gasped out.

Kokona froze. She stared at me wordlessly for a few seconds before speaking once more.

"You wouldn't have done it on purpose, I know that…"

"But it was!"

Kokona froze again. "I lost my temper! I lost control! I froze him in cold blood!" I gasped out another sob. Kokona wrapped me in her arms, rubbing circles across my back. I flinched away, the movement reminding me of the constricting hold of the Ghoul. The girl loosened her hold until I relaxed again.

"I know you wouldn't hurt someone without them hurting you first. I may not know you as well as I'd like to, Christine, but I know you would never do that."

I went to argue but Kokona gave me a dirty look. "Whoever did this to you is an asshole, pushing you to point where you have to lose control to protect yourself." Kokona pulled me to my feet then. "It's not your fault, Christine."

I took a shuddering breath. It wasn't… my fault? Remaining still in Kokona's arms, I allowed myself to remember what happened.

I had been beside myself. I didn't remember what had happened with the Ghoul but… I knew that I would never have hurt him of my own volition. What happened with my body hadn't been me.

I wiped away the remainder of my tears before finally giving a gentle smile to Kokona.

"Thank you."

That brought a smile to the witches' face. She playfully punched me on the shoulder, just like how Meg would do sometimes.

"No problem. Happy to help."

I smiled again. I still felt bad – my powers were the thing that froze him – but I would fight through it. And the best way to start was getting back to my friends. Though how to get back…?

"Do you know where the pier is from here?"

Kokona's eyes bulged.

"You ran from the pier?! Good grief!"

"Is that far?"

"A good half a mile, maybe more!"

Yikes…. And I wasn't even a sprinter. I gave a sigh. The duel was probably over by now; how could I find them?

I remembered that Kaiba had looked into the location of the finals before Mokuba arrived. The construction site of Domino Stadium.

I quickly grabbed Kokona's shoulders, making her jump.

"I need to get to Domino Stadium!"

Kokona's eyes widened. She was probably surprised at the sudden shift in mood. Just as quickly though, they narrowed.

"Domino Stadium? That's barely even built!"

"Even so! It's the location of the Battle City Finals! My friends will be there! I have to get there!"

Kokona gave a hum. "Please, Kokona! I would really appreciate the help!" She played with her chin next, swinging her foot. When she kicked her new broom, a smile spread across her face.

"Do you want to be stereotypical?" She asked randomly.

I leaned back, releasing her shoulders. I raised my eyebrow at her random question. What?

"Stereotypical?"

"Yeah!" Kokona leaned down to pick up her broom. "Wanna be a bunch of witches on a broom?"

I stared at it for a second. How were we…. Oh, right. Kokona could control air and probably had enough power to propel us where I needed to go. "We don't need to cackle or anything; I just want to practice my Mary Sanderson impression." Gasp! An American movie reference! One that fit perfectly!

"Thankfully it's not a vacuum cleaner."

Kokona laughed at my joke. "Let's do it!"

She tossed me her bag of groceries to hold while we settled onto the broom. It was dark so we didn't worry about anyone catching sight of us. Clinging to Kokona, I felt the ground lift away.

The wind blew in my face as we flew over Domino City and my hair flipping into my eyes wasn't the only thing that I had to worry about. Kokona wasn't that proficient in flying so we nearly collided with tall buildings a number of times and then there were the birds! Freaking things kept trying to divebomb us! I was eventually forced to create a small ice shield so that we were safe from a feathery death.

When I caught sight of the familiar construction sight, I pointed it out. "There!" I cried loud enough for the pilot to hear. Kokona nodded and carefully began our descent. We had to avoid Kaiba's guards but we were quick enough to fly over their heads and into the area that was open for the duelists to enter.

Kokona settled us onto the ground and I was quick to hug her. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it!" She chirped, taking her shopping back as I stepped off of the broom. "Happy to help out!"

I stepped away after one last hug and watched as Kokona lifted into the air once more. She gave one last wave before shooting off into the darkness. I turned my head to see the entrance of the bare boned stadium. I was nervous to say the least. I had just run off from my friends without a word, the only thing about my state of mind was the frozen Ghoul…. I shook my head, removing the memory from my mind. Now was not the time to be thinking about that. I had to reunite with my friends.

I stepped into the Stadium to hear Jounouchi talking to someone.

"Where are the other finalists?" He said in his normal voice and I nearly started crying again.

"They will be here soon." Roland's voice was replying.

The sound of dirt shifting underneath my boots caught Anzu's attention and she screamed my name when she caught sight of my face.

"Christine!" She shrieked before careening towards me.

We collided hard enough that I nearly fell to the ground. We even crashed heads a bit. I rubbed at it in pain while Anzu near growled at me. "How dare you run off like that!" She bopped me over the head then.

"Ow!" I whined. "That hurt!"

I was clobbered with a hug then. "Anzu!"

"No!"

I rolled my eyes with a sigh. Did I deserve this much abuse? Then I saw the tears streaming down Anzu cheeks. Uh oh….

"Anzu…"

She pulled away from the hug, shaking her head. I kept quiet as she gathered herself.

"Are you ok?" Her voice was slightly hoarse. "You're not hurt at all."

I shook my head. Anzu nodded tightly. "Good. That's good." She wiped away more tears before hitting me again. "Don't do that again." I gave mock salute.

"Understood."

With one final nod, Anzu turned back to our friends with me walking gently behind her. Jounouchi looked mad while everyone else remained quiet. Yugi was my main focus though. His face was utterly blank. He was sooo mad at me. Mai was the first to speak.

"Are you all right, dear?" She asked gently, stepping towards me.

"Yeah." I replied with a smile. "It's been a long day. I lost my temper."

"We all do sometimes."

Mai wrapped me in a quick hug. When she released me, she stepped back into the middle of the group. I turned my head towards Ryugi and Honda.

"When did you two get here?"

"When their duel ended." Honda replied, jutting his thumb towards someone next to him. "We had a bit of a delivery."

Standing next to Honda was a girl not much shorter than me. Her long brown hair hung slightly in her eyes but the brown eyes stared right at me. Jounouchi's sister Shizuka. Her bandages were removed so the surgery went as planned. I gave her a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Shizuka."

Shizuka returned the smile.

"It's nice to meet more of Katsuya's friends."

I chuckled at her use of Jounouchi's first name. They must have been extremely close.

Ryuji took the moment to lean in, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What happened back there?" He asked. "Is that why Jounouchi's afraid of you?"

"Hey!" The blond snapped to the hilarity of the rest of the group.

I gave a shy chuckle but I was thankful to Ryuji for lightening the moment. I play whispered back when it was quiet enough for him to hear.

"Partially but that was a one-time only show. It ain't happening again."

"I'll drink to that." Ryuji commented and it made me laugh.

Our merriment was cut short when more footsteps cut through the air. We all turned our heads to see… Bakura?

"Bakura?!" Yugi gasped, his face finally showing some emotion.

"What's he doing here?!"' Jounouchi gasped as well.

His arm was bandaged. Hospital quality wrap but the blood seeping through it… He shouldn't be here with that kind of wound.

Bakura kept quiet for the first minute. Roland interrupted my first attempt to go over to him with his call of any duelist not there in 15 minutes would be disqualified. With only five duelists there, getting 3 more in 15 minutes seemed farfetched. I stepped over to Bakura when it was silent again, yanking his arm towards me.

"What the heck do you think you're doing walking around with this kind of wound?" I huffed.

Bakura turned to face me, his light doe eyes sparkling. What the…. He was just so stalwart and creepy a second ago!

"I'm fine, Christine!" He chirped. "It doesn't hurt!"

"You're still bleeding though!" Jounouchi barked.

I gave a loud sigh, instinctively reaching for the salve I had in my bag. My hand met only open air. Where was my bag? I looked around to see if I had put it down when I saw Yugi holding it up across the way. I gave a nervous smile.

I left it at the pier…. Whoops.

I took it from Yugi, thanking him softly, before rushing back to Bakura. I was too focused on trying to patch up the bandages and what I could see of the wound to even hear what was being said around me. Whatever did it, it did a good job of injuring him. I didn't believe for a minute that it didn't hurt; Bakura's arm must have gone numb from pain. I was only knocked out of my thoughts when my name was called. "Hey Dr. Christine, we got another patient for you."

I looked up from my work to see a stranger in our midst. With sandy blonde hair, he towered over me a bit. He was wearing a hoodie like top with skinny jeans. Makeup – or was it khol – lined his eyes, making them pop out. Despite his sweet smile, I was slightly nervous around him. "Namu here was punched in the face protecting Bakura. Could ya check it out?" I rolled my eyes.

"Hold on! Hold on!" I huffed. "I can only have so many patients at once."

There was slight chuckling at that. I finished tying Bakura's bandages before I yanked lightly on his hair. "Don't play with it. If it hurts, I want you to find a trained doctor." Bakura gave a nervous nod. I turned my back on him to walk over to the stranger, Namu.

I checked him over for any injuries but saw nothing substantial; nothing that would say something was broken. There was a light scratch over his cheek though… I gave a light whack to it, making Namu immediately flinch. "Ah ha… There it is."

"Ya didn't have to hit him!" Ryuji huffed.

I gave a shrug in reply before looking Namu in the eye. Even his gaze unnerved me. I resolved to make this quick.

"Keep some ice on it, maybe a bit of painkillers. All I can say really."

Namu gave another sweet smile.

"I will do that. Thank you."

Without a second glance, I walked over to Yugi's side. Namu didn't seem to mind my curtness, he simply turned to Yugi with that same smile. "It's nice to meet you, Yugi."

"Nice to meet you too…" Yugi replied almost nervously.

Bakura then butted it, holding up the Millennium Ring. I remembered Honda's words that he was wearing it a few days ago. He wasn't wearing it right now but… I suddenly had a really bad feeling.

"Check this out, Yugi!" Bakura cried. "The Millennium Ring is reacting to something!"

Sure enough, one of the spindles attached to the Ring was levitating on its own. It was pointing to the entrance of the stadium. Everyone turned to see that someone really was walking into the stadium.

I couldn't see his face underneath his hood but the bright eye on the fabric was jarring. In what light there was, I could faintly see a tattoo lining his left eye all the way down to his chin. When he got close enough, the tattoo was revealed to be lines of hieroglyphics. That had to have been painful. I felt Yugi flinch next to me so I settled a hand on his shoulder. He didn't react but there was the slightest bit of straightening his spine.

When the man fully entered out midst, he looked down at Yugi with his dark eyes. Yugi didn't step back, keeping himself stock still under the man's stare.

"Hey." Kaiba interrupted, making him blink. "Are you Marik?"

"I am." He replied without tearing his eyes away from Yugi's.

After another second, he looked away and sauntered a good distance from the rest of the group. "Yugi… wielder of Slifer! Kaiba… wielder of Obelisk! I will defeat you both and take your god cards!"

It was silent for a long moment after that. Nobody knew how to break that tough silence. I tightened my grip on Yugi's shoulder. The boy didn't react but I knew he could feel my support. Roland's eventually words ended up breaking the silence.

"Will the seven duelists please give me your attention!" He called. "I have an announcement to make!"

Everyone turned their heads towards the man. "All of you have survived the preliminary round and have assembled here at Domino Stadium! But… The finals will not take place here!"

"What?!" Jounouchi shrieked.

I had figured as much. This place was barely built, hardly able to handle any kind of dueling. It would all fall apart if one of the god cards were summoned.

"The real stage shall appear momentarily."

Lights at the top of the stadium turned on, the suddenness blinding me. When I opened my eyes again, I saw a giant blimp landing right next to us.

"That's the place of the finals?!" Yugi gasped.

"Exactly. You may call it: The Battle Ship!"

Battle Ship. Why that name? I took a glance at Kaiba. Did he beat someone at Battle Ship and this was something to help remember that? Well, at least no one could sink it. "The first round of the Finals will take place one thousand meters (3,280.84 Ft) in the air!"

Jounouchi was jaw dropped the entirety of the time the blimp took to land. The side opened up to reveal a set of stairs. Woah…. "Please board. It will take off at seven on the dot."

Mai and Jounouchi were quick to jump up the stairs. I was going to walk up with the rest of the group but Yugi was quick to grab my wrist and drag me after him. He probably didn't want me running off again. Roland didn't even argue which seemed strange when he tried to stop the rest of the gang from coming aboard for not having IDs. Thankfully Mokuba allowed all of us on board. It was funny to hear Roland stutter as everybody raced up the stairs.

It took an extra minute for Roland to follow us up. I couldn't turn back to see him as Yugi was still dragging me into the Blimp. Yugi released me once we got to a set of windows at the side. It was beautiful to see the lights of the city becoming smaller and smaller as we lifted into the air. When we had reached cruising altitude, everything was indistinguishable from each other.

"Wow!" Jounouchi breathed. "You can see all of Domino City from up here!"

Jounouchi's voice softened then. "Shizuka… Do you see it? Look at all the lights!"

"Yeah!" His sister breathed in reply. "I've never seen such a pretty night scene…"

"You said it! Heh! I guess strong duelists can even fly! Wa ha ha ha!"

Kaiba, who had been walking behind the two, quickly made a jab.

"It doesn't take much to excite some people." He hmphed. "Dead-beat duelist!"

"What the…. Dead-beat?!"

"An average duelist at best. I'm sure you'll freeze up when you face the more challenging duels that are about to start. You'd better enjoy this moment of being a tourist while you can!"

Jounouchi gave a growl. I managed to detangle myself from Yugi to go over and calm Jounouchi down. While I was there, Kaiba didn't stop talking. "Yugi… Let me give you one piece of advice. In one of the preliminary matches, you intentionally left your God Card out of you deck, for whatever foolish reason. Even during the tag-team match against the Ghouls, you didn't include Slifer, did you?" Yugi didn't reply, obviously making Kaiba even more mad. "Listen! I will not accept that during our battle! I'm sure you know, we are about to step foot into the realm of the Gods! The tournament is down to eight semi-finalists! You might even say the winner will be chosen by the three God Cards. I will beat you and Marik and take the title of Duel King. Make no mistake!" With that, Kaiba stalked out of the room. That was cheery.

"We have arranged rooms for all eight duelists!" Roland called. "Your ID cards are also your room keys. The tournament will begin in one hour! The match-ups will be announced at that time!"

I followed after my friends but when Anzu, Ryuji and Honda all jumped into Jounouchi's room, I faltered. I was tired and with their excitement, I would get no sleep. Looking once into the room, I shook my head. Everybody else would be distracting poor Jounouchi, I didn't want to bug him as well. I poked my head around the corner to see that Yugi's room wasn't that far from here…. But was I welcome there?

It was worth a shot.

I walked the few paces towards his door before hesitating. How mad was he going to be? I up and left… There was not even a thought for him, Jounouchi, or Yami… I simply ran. I shook the dark thoughts out of my mind. Yugi was not the kind of person to hate me simply because I ran in a panic; he would understand.

Nervously, I tapped at Yugi's door. Hopefully he wouldn't be mad at me for disturbing him. There was padding for a moment before Yugi opened the door. A small smile took over his face. It was the first one I'd seen all evening.

"Hey, there." He said gently. "Can I help you?"

I smiled in reply. He wasn't visibly mad at least.

"I was hoping to crash here for a bit. Jounouchi's room is a disaster but I don't want to bother you though."

Yugi shook his head before stepping back to let me in.

"Don't worry about it. Come on in."

He wasn't mad. I fought off relieved tears at the revelation.

"Thank you."

I stepped into the room quickly so that Yugi could close the door behind me. The room was huge! Its own little seating area on one side with the bed and nightstand on the other. Despite its size, it was cozy. Yugi's deck was situated at the seating area – cards splayed everywhere like he was organizing it – and the boy was quick to return to it so I moved to the bed. "You'll wake me up when it's time to go, right?"

"Yup!"

"Thank you, Yugi."

I settled down onto my back. For being a blimp, Kaiba made sure that the beds were comfortable at least. He wasn't that cruel I guess. I had just closed my eyes when Yugi spoke again.

"Christine?" He called softly.

"Hmm?"

"I... I'm really sorry for today."

I opened my eyes. What? Leaning on my elbows, I turned so that I was looking to Yugi. His face was downcast, looking towards his deck.

"Yugi, what do you...?"

"Everything with Marik, you having to hurt someone... I'm really sorry."

Guilt pooled in my stomach. Yugi was blaming himself for everything that happened? I leaned up further so that I was seated on the bed now.

"It's not your fault, Yugi." I told him. "It was me who froze that Rare Hunter; you had nothing to do with it."

"Yes but you were targeted because you're friends with me – "

"I would have been targeted anyway." I interrupted.

I stood from the bed to sit on the armrest of the chair Yugi was seated in. He didn't react to me there so I wrapped an arm around his shoulder, making him lean into me in a kind of awkward half embrace. "Marik knows who I am, Yugi. I don't know how but he does. Even if I had no idea who you were, he would or wouldn't have come after me. Being friends with you only puts an even bigger target on my back." That sentence didn't seem to make Yugi feel better. I gave a sigh. "This is probably blunt but I will happily keep this target to keep you and your other-self safe, kay?"

"But-!"

"Eh!" I held up a finger, interrupting him. "I'm not letting you blame yourself; the blame is all on me."

Yugi looked like he wanted to argue with me again. "You shouldn't be worried about what has come and gone; you need to focus on the finals. Don't let me get in your way. I'll figure something out for myself, ok?"

It took a second but Yugi eventually nodded. I gave him another smile and half hug. "Good. Now!" I yawned while standing up. "I'm taking a nap!" Yugi laughed as I all but collapsed into the bed provided. "Don't forget to wake me up."

"I won't."

I closed my eyes again and darkness overwhelmed my vision. I opened my eyes to see a completely different sight. It was a large open room painted a dark red with black outlines. Columns were placed at the walls to help stabilize them and remained a stark white. Through a window, I could tell that it was dark outside. Nighttime? A fire burned in the hearth and someone was sitting beside it.

The man was muscular. I could tell because his biceps bulged out of the light tunic he was wearing. In his hands, he was sharpening a sword with a rock; a calm expression on his face. The flame flickered over his face, highlighting a slim scar on his cheek. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the sliding sound of rock on metal. It should have sent shivers up my spine but, strangely, I found it soothing.

I couldn't take my eyes off his face. I knew this man; how, I didn't know. He seemed so familiar to me and it irritated me to no end that I couldn't recognize him.

Padding footsteps raced into the room and the man settled his sword down to capture a little blonde girl running towards him. She was crying, her sobs echoing through the quiet room. The man gently soothed her, whispering soft, calm words into her ear.

"What is wrong, Iliana?" He asked and I froze.

'Iliana?' I looked to the girl more closely and saw that it was indeed me! Only a little younger than the first vision at the museum but it was the same! Tears streamed down my cheeks and I gave a hiccup as I cried.

"I... I..." Little me gasped to speak through her tears. "I hurt someone!"

I tilted my head. The way I knew Iliana was that she was ruthless. Why would she be panicking about hurting someone?

The man continued to soothe me. He was keeping his breaths even so that I could follow them. It worked. A minute or so later, the tears were slowing down.

"Did they try to hurt you, Iliana?" The man asked gently.

"They were trying to! I didn't know what to do!"

"Then it is fine."

"But, Father-!"

"But nothing, my child."

I froze again. 'Father?!' 'Child?!' I stared at the man's face again. I couldn't see any facial similarities but the way he looked down at me... I knew that look... "They tried to hurt you, right?" Little me nodded. "You did nothing wrong; you were protecting what was yours."

"I still hurt them!"

The man gave a sigh and I laughed lightly in response. I may not have looked like him, but I inherited his patience and temper.

"Think of it like this, Iliana. What would I do if your mother was in the same situation?"

Little me brushed a few tears away before replying.

"You would jump to her rescue."

"Exactly. I would hurt another person to protect something very important to me."

The man - my father - moved his hand so that I was looking up at him now. "Just as I would protect you and your mother from danger, you protected the life that was given to you. There is no need to be angry with yourself, my daughter. I am simply glad that you are home safe. That is all I could ask for."

Tears welled up in my eyes again and soon I was bawling once more in my father's arms. He didn't complain. He only wrapped me up tightly in comfort.

More padding entered the room but it seemed the two on the bench didn't hear so I looked up. A woman was entering the room and I blinked. Wait a minute... what? She looked like an older version of me; my blonde hair and green eyes were echoed on this woman's face. Her worried expression was the same as mine whenever I saw a picture or video someone took of me. She stepped over to father and me, sitting on the bench beside him.

"Did something happen?" She softly asked Father.

Father slid a hand through my blonde hair, his expression still pulled into a sad frown.

"Our daughter is very kind hearted. Life is precious to her, even if it tries to harm her."

'Our'...? So she was... "Surely you would have seen this coming, Seer Phoebe." The woman gave a breath of a laugh.

"My vision doesn't extend that far, darling Adrastus."

Father gave a laugh as well. I didn't know what she meant by 'visions' but I hardly had the opportunity to speak my confusion. The woman leaned down so that she was eye level with me. I opened my eyes and the woman smiled, opening her arms to me. I made a hiccup before throwing myself into her arms.

"Mother!" I cried into her shoulder.

Mother... Tears streamed down my cheeks now. It made sense. My looks from my mother and my attitude from my father.

I watched the little family - my family - for a moment longer. Seeing how the two parents soothed their little girl until she only gave hiccups. There was a little bit of a fright from me when a large grey wolf entered the room as well but it settled when little me reached out to it and the animal allowed the motion.

"Careful, Kari." Father said when the wolf tried to pull itself even closer to me.

Kari? I didn't know what it meant but couldn't dwell on it long as everything was beginning to fade away. I didn't want to leave yet but someone was calling my name.

"Christine." The voice called softly. "Time to get up."

My eyes opened to only see fuzzy surroundings. I had to blink numerous times to clear them so it took an extra minute for me to wake up fully. Turning my head, I saw Yami looming over me, soft smile on his face; he looked far better than during his duel with Jounouchi. "Nice nap?" I lifted my hands over my head in a stretch and the hum of slight pain when my back cracked made Yami chuckle. "I'm gonna take that as a yes."

I sat up, moving so that my feet touched the ground but still not saying anything. I rubbed my eyes to fully clear them and I found them slightly wet. Yami tensed beside me. "Why are you crying?" The spirit's hand came up to my cheek where one of the tears had escaped, wiping it away. "Christine?"

"Weird dream." I simply said, a distinct shake to my voice.

Yami didn't reply. His hand remained at my cheek while he leaned forward to rest his forehead against mine. I relaxed against him, feeling another tear or two race down my face. "Sorry for worrying you. It was just a strange dream, really."

"That makes me worry."

I breathed a laugh. I didn't doubt his statement. We had gone through so much today both of our nerves were probably shot. I leaned in further so that I could press a chaste kiss to my boyfriend's lips, pulling away before he could react. The spirit silently blinked his reaction like usual and I smiled to him.

"Kaiba called, right? Then we should be going."

Yami blinked once more before nodding. He helped me up to my feet and the two of us walked out of the room together. The spirit didn't say anything but the tight grip on my hand told me of his feelings. I understood them completely.

It was now the beginning of the Finals.

 **Yami Bakura: Yes! Me next!**

 **Don't get your hopes up.**

 **Yami Bakura: JenBang!**

 **Hey! Don't bring Jenpai into this!**

 **Yami: Good grief...**

 **See ya in the next chapter! RobyHood3**


	9. Dark Necrofear

**Hey guys... Sorry for the delay. Things have been difficult but I don't want to give up on you guys or this story. We have more questions than answers in this chapter. TEE HEE HEE!**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any references I might make in this chapter. I only own Christine.***

We walked hand in hand towards the assembly hall of the blimp. Yami's grip was tight on my fingers but I made no argument against him; he was stressed, that I understood. I didn't know what I could do to help him but I figured this was enough for right now.

I was sad when he released my hand when we reached the assembly hall. Yami chuckled at my displeased expression, moving his hand to my back to make sure I kept walking. Once we were in the room though, he was forced to stand next to Jounouchi near a strange Blue Eyes machine. I went to stand with Anzu, who gave me a cheeky smile. I wrinkled my nose at her, which only made her laugh. Roland, who was standing next to the machine, began speaking when she died down.

"We will draw lots to determine the first-round match-ups!" He called. "When the winners of each duel are decided, the next draw will be held! In other words, you will not know your opponent's identity until mere moments before the duel. The match-ups will be decided using a bingo format. This machine will randomly choose two balls with your duelist numbers on them."

Of course it was Bingo. It was the same for Pegasus so I wasn't surprised. Roland turned on the machine and a whirling sound erupted from it. The ping pong like balls bounced in the plastic dome, each one labeled with a number. I thought and listed the numbers and who the corresponded to: 1 was Namu, 2 was Marik, 3 was Kaiba, 4 was Jounouchi, 5 was Yami, 6 was Mai, 7 was Bakura and 8 was unknown to all of us. One of the balls fell in to the Blue Eyes mouth then out one of the lower ones. I reached onto my tip toes to see who's it was but Roland announced it. "Duelist number 7! Ryou Bakura!"

"What?!" Bakura gasped. "Me?"

"Good luck, Bakura!" Honda called almost teasingly.

I still didn't think Bakura should be dueling with that injury but I doubted anyone would listen to me. Roland was starting up the machine again for Bakura's opponent so any of my words would have been drowned out by the whirling sound. It took another minute before another ball was shot out.

"Duelist Number 5! Yugi Motou!"

Of course…. "Ryou Bakura vs. Yugi Motou!"

"What?!" Bakura gasped again. "I have to fight Yugi?!"

Yami wasn't playing around when he turned around and gave Bakura a serious glare. I even felt the determination from all the way over here.

"Bakura against Yugi…" Jounouchi breathed.

"I think I know how it'll end…" Honda muttered.

I agreed with Honda but knew it wouldn't be easy. I turned back to Bakura to see, for only an instant, a face that brought up memories of dolls and absolute screaming. I couldn't… I dashed over to Yami.

"Tell me you saw that." I hissed. "The face!"

Yami nodded his head.

"We can't know for sure but I did see it." He muttered back.

He was going to say more when Roland rudely interrupted him.

"The duel will be held on a special ring on the Battle Ship: the aerial dueling platform!"

"The aerial what?!" Jounouchi barked in confusion.

"The two active duelists will take the central spiral escalator to the duel field! If the other duelists wish to be spectators, please come along."

"Yeah!"

The gang went to follow Roland and I moved to follow when Yami grabbed my wrist to whisper in my ear.

"If this turns out how we think it will, keep everyone on the ground safe." He whispered.

I nodded my head and was released. I quickly followed after the rest of the gang as they entered a large elevator. It let out at the top of the blimp where the wind echoed loudly in all of our ears. Anzu shivered loudly when we stepped out onto the platform.

"I-It's freezing!" She shivered. "They want them to fight in this freezing wind?!"

"The current altitude of the Battle Ship is 1,000 meters, a 10-degree Celsius difference from the temperature on the ground." Kaiba sounded awfully pleased with himself as he spoke. "The air current will feel like blades cutting into your bodies. The duel will be held in these harsh conditions!"

Anzu shivered wildly again. I felt bad – I wasn't that affected by the cold so I didn't feel much of these conditions – but Anzu was going to get sick like this. Careful to not let anyone see, I breathed a spell into my hands then released it. The cold wind blew it around the blimp until the magic was able to coerce it into a barrier. The wind blowing across the dueling platform settled slightly and the temperature raised as well. It wouldn't be by much but when Anzu stopped shivering, I considered it a win.

"It's been a long time…" 'Bakura's' voice over the light wind caught my attention, making me turn to the platform. "Yugi…"

The face was one I hadn't seen in over a year. It was the face of Yami Bakura, the evil spirit that dwelled in the Millennium Ring. I knew that I had seen it!

"I knew it." Yami replied. "I guess things were going a little too well. How long has your evil side been in control? Well, Bakura?"

"Bakura got taken over?!" Jounouchi gasped.

"That idiot!" Honda chastised. "Did he wear the Millennium Ring again?!"

"Millennium Ring?" Namu asked, obviously confused. "Dark Mind? What's all that about, Jounouchi? Why did Bakura's expression change?"

I allowed Jounouchi to explain, I wasn't in the mood to go over it. I kept my eyes on Yami and Yami Bakura across the way. I couldn't hear what they were talking about over the wind but the bright smirk on Yami Bakura's face made it clear it wasn't good. The two walked to opposite sides of the platform and activated their duel disks. Roland called for the beginning of the match and everything began.

Yami Bakura started with Portrait's Secret in attack mode. It seemed odd because the monster only had 1200 attack points. It would be easy for Yami to pull a monster that could beat that. And he did. Baphomet had 1400 attack points and easily destroyed the weaker monster. Before ending his turn, Yami also added a face down card.

It went on like that for another two turns. Yami Bakura kept playing monsters in attack mode that could easily be beaten by Yami's monsters. Using a summoned Gamma the Magnet Warrior to destroy the monster and Baphomet to attack directly, Yami Bakura's life points were whittled down to 750 by the third turn. What was he playing at?

The bright smile on Yami Bakura's face after the third monster was destroyed was terrifying.

"You fell for my trap!" He cried before laughing. "Hidden in my occult deck is one of the most terrifying cards ever printed for Duel Monsters. But… that monster requires a special method of summoning. Three monsters must be in the graveyard for this monster to appear on the field and those three monsters must have been destroyed while in attack mode within five turns. In other words…"

Yami Bakura pulled a card out from his hand. "By sacrificing three souls to the graveyard, I summon the ruler of the realm of the dead! Dark Necrofear!"

He played the card and the strange woman seemed to walk out of the night itself. Even though I wasn't cold, I wrapped myself up in my arms to stop the shiver that raced down my spine. With 2200 attack points, she was nothing to scoff at. And if I remembered right, Dark Necrofear was going to cause a lot of problems.

Yami Bakura ended his turn with a face down card but he didn't attack. I glanced over at Yami's face down card. He could be thinking it was a trap… I couldn't be sure. Yami started his turn by sacrificing Baphomet to summon Dark Magician Girl. She popped up in a poof of smoke, staring wide eyed at Dark Necrofear across the way. Yami then activated his face down card, a spell card called Magic Formula. It raised Dark Magician Girl's attack power to 2500, easily able to destroy Dark Necrofear.

But even when she was gone, Yami Bakura was all smiles. "Thanks for killing my card, Yugi. Now it's special power comes into play!"

Yami went to attack directly with Gamma the Magnet Warrior but something shot out of the monster's back, hitting Yami. I flinched at the impact, hearing the grunt with the collision. What happened?! "Magnet Warrior is possessed by the spirit of the Marionette Dark Necrofear carries around! When you give it freedom to attack, it's too happy to oblige but it's you yourself who'll become the target! That's not all! The player who is attacked loses half of the possessed monster's attack points and I absorb the damage you took in the form of life points!" Freaking heck! Yami's life points dropped to 3250 while Yami Bakura's raised to 1200. "Also Yugi… When your Dark Magician Girl attacked, you activated a trap card on my field! Destiny Board!" A giant Ouija board appeared over Bakura's head, the eye being directed by Dark Necrofear. I gave a wild shiver.

"What's that weird board do?" Jounouchi asked aloud.

"Nothing good." I replied.

"A Ouija board is a toll to communicate with spirits." Yami Bakura seemingly explained. "The planchette will point to letters on the board and spell out the spirit's wishes. Dark Necrofear just wants to send you a little message from beyond the grave!"

Dark Necrofear's hand began to move along the board, covering different letters at a time, until she finally stopped: the letter 'D.' The selected letter appeared in a ghostly frame after a second. "'D' as in Death! Now do you see? After five turns, when all five letters of 'DEATH' have appeared, you will be eliminated, Yugi!"

Yami Bakura had just put the game on a time limit. Great!

He wasn't done. He used his turn to play a spell card called the Dark Door, meaning that Yami could only attack one monster during his battle phase. He also set Earthbound spirit in defense mode. A means of protecting his life points just in case Yami got through.

Yami took his turn then. I could see the annoyance on his face. A time limit does tend to make games a lot more stressful. He used his turn to play Kuriboh in defense mode then tried to attack with Dark Magician Girl. Just like his last attack, Yami was buffeted by the strange blast that shot out of her back. I flinched once more at the sound of Yami's grunt of pain. His life points dropped again, this time to 2000. Yami Bakura's raised to 2450. "I forgot to tell you. The Marionette's spirit changes its host on every turn. If you don't choose your attack monster carefully, your own army will slowly tear you apart!"

Thanks for that cheery piece of news….

The Ouija board moved once more to reveal the letter 'E.' Yami now had only 3 turns to create a miracle. Bakura ended his turn with a face down card and his annoying smirk.

I could see Yami sweating even from my distance. His flicking eyes told me that he was trying to decide which monster to attack with. It was either Dark Magician Girl or Gamma; Yami Bakura wouldn't be caught dead trying to possess the Kuriboh. He tried to attack with the Magnet Warrior but Yami Bakura activated a trap card – Dark Spirit of the Silent. It forced Dark Magician Girl to attack instead and lo and behold! She was the one possessed! The grunt of pain made me flinch once more. That has to be painful. Yami took more damage, lowering his life points to 750 and raising Yami Bakura's to 3700. It was a complete switch from the beginning of the duel!

The letter 'A' was then revealed. Yami Bakura's smirk was beginning to get on my nerves. Yami had played two cards face down before ending his turn and based on his expression, something was important about them.

Yami Bakura practically skipped his turn but he definitely took the time to taunt Yami once more. He was so cocky that he was going to win with his combo. I hoped Yami had something up his sleeve. I glanced over to smile; Yami's smirk was clear even from down here. He started his turn with Monster Recovery, returning his monsters to his hand.

"Without any bodies to possess, your spirit should be haunting my field!"

Yami slowly reshuffled his hand into his deck then drew five more cards. "Now, I summon one monster in attack mode!" Kuriboh?! Really? "So now, there's only one monster your marionette spirit can possess! And since Kuriboh is in attack mode, that activates your other trap as well! Dark Spirit of the Silent… Possess Kuriboh!" Oh! I see what he was doing! "Last but not least! When I summon Kuriboh, I activate this trap card!" Chain Destruction would destroy Kuriboh and any other copies Yami had. While it may have been mean to poor Kuriboh, it was a necessary thing. Yami Bakura was definitely mad at this development.

"So what?! You may have killed my monsters, but the Ouija board pointed to the fourth letter! You only have one turn left!"

I had seen the creepy hands move towards the 'T' but I was surprisingly not concerned. There was something that said Yami would be just fine.

Yami Bakura began his turn and the flipping of his eyes from his hand to the lone face down card on Yami's side of the field caught my eye. He was concerned about the card no doubt. Could Yami have set a trap or was it some large bluff? When Yami Bakura drew a card to start his turn, I grew concerned again. I hated that laugh. He sacrificed his Earthbound Spirit to summon Earl of Demise, a creepy monster with 2000 attack points. One hit and Yami would be done for!

The face down card flipped up to reveal the ankh shape of Monster Reborn. Dark Necrofear appeared from the blinding light that ensued destroying the attacking Earl of Demise. As soon as she was revived, the large Ouija board vanished from over Yami Bakura's head, taking the large letters with it. When the smoke cleared after Dark Necrofear's attack, Yami Bakura didn't seem upset. His life points only 200 points but when I looked over at his field again, my heart dropped.

Everything had come back! The Ouija board, Yami's monsters, everything! What the heck just happened?! "Despite all your efforts, you couldn't escape my death curse that'll defeat you on the next turn!" No… No… Yami Bakura revealed that he had played Déjà Vu, a spell card that reverts the board to a turn ago, right before Yami had played Monster Recovery. "Unfortunately for you, Monster Recovery, Chain Destruction and Monster Reborn don't return to your hand! And now… there's no way for you to climb out of the grave I've dug for you! On the next turn, die with the declaration of 'DEATH'!"

Yami now only had one turn to turn everything around. I clutched my hands together over my mouth to stop any sounds from escaping. Yami! I may consider myself religious but I was praying like nobody's business.

My prayers were answered with a bout of turbulence. Wind blasted through my barrier, crashing it to smithereens. I fought to keep my balance from the winds forcing the blimp up and down. We all tried to grab onto each other and the side of the blimp to keep our balance. I had grabbed onto the side but was thrown off with a blast of wind. I gave a scream when the ground beneath my feet gave way and I fell towards the ground.

I never hit the ground. There was a pinch at my waist and then nothing.

I opened my eyes to see underneath the dueling platform. What? I turned my gaze to the ground. It was there at least but it was farther away than I expected it to be. Reaching my hand out, I hit the ground but it took the entirety of my arm to do so. What was going on?

I turned my head to see Anzu and Jounouchi staring wide eyed at me. Honda and Ryuji were staring at something behind me. Trying to turn my head, I tried to see what they were looking at. My head wouldn't turn around all the way but the pinch at my waist was prominent. I couldn't stand up either.

"Could I have a little help here?" I asked with a huff.

There was no movement for a second. Then, Anzu and Jounouchi leaned over to grab my wrists. They didn't do much lifting as the thing wrapped around my waist hefted me up and onto my feet. Anzu kept a hold on me until I was steady and even then, she still didn't let me go. The pinch at my waist released me and I took the moment to see what was going on.

Nothing was around my waist but around my ankles, just like this afternoon, the God's tail was wrapped around them.

I went to step out from the hold but the tail only adjusted itself to keep me encircled. "What the….?" I looked up at the Sky Dragon then. It was facing towards Yami Bakura. Was I just a passing thought? Something to keep safe? I brushed off the thought. Today was just plain weird!

"I win, Bakura!" Yami shouted, knocking me out of my thoughts. "Slifer the Sky Dragon, atta-!"

The tail of the Sky Dragon wrapped tighter around my ankles then. Yami's head had snapped towards something coming up the elevator. I turned to follow his gaze.

Marik had stepped out onto the platform, his hood still obscuring his face. Yami gave a scowl in his direction. "You scum!"

"Listen carefully, Yugi…" Marik's deep voice intoned. "That boy is being controlled by my Millennium Rod!"

"You're the one who brainwashed Bakura?!"

"I'll show you proof; I'll release his real personality."

It only took a second for Yami Bakura to collapse to his knees. My gaze turned to him and I gasped when I saw the wound on his arm had opened up again. Blood seeped from the bandages, dripping towards his duel disk. I could hear Bakura's whimpers of pain from down here. I would have tried to race over but the Sky Dragon's tail wrapped even tighter around my ankles. "As you can see, that boy is badly wounded… An attack from the Sky Dragon will grant you victory but the shock could very well take that boy's life. Are you willing to do that?" Marik turned on his heel and walked away from the platform.

"That's not fair!" Jounouchi barked at Marik's back.

"Bakura!" Honda called up to our friend. "Get up!"

Marik was using Bakura as a shield! Was Yami supposed to surrender the duel?! If he did, he would lose his chance to retrieve his memories! He couldn't!

"Yugi!" Roland called. "You only have 30 seconds left to make your turn!"

What?!

"What's the matter?" Kaiba barked into the fray. "Why are you stalling?! Finish him off!"

Yami was still stock still, eyes wide on Bakura. He had to do something! Roland was counting down the seconds until his turn was ended for him.

"Yugi, you have to do something!" I cried, keeping to Yugi's name. "You don't, you'll lose everything!"

Yami finally blinked. It wasn't at what I said though. Bakura had stood up again but the dark spirit was in control again.

"I'll let you win this time, Yugi!" Yami Bakura called. "Don't worry! Your little gaming buddy won't die! Attack me!"

Yami didn't hesitate. With just enough time to spare, Slifer was able to attack and finish the duel. The Millennium Ring flew into the air before landing with a loud clunk next to an unconscious Bakura. With the duel over, all of the cards vanished from the field. Slifer disappeared as well and the grip of its tail around my ankles vanished with him. With my newfound freedom, I jumped onto the platform and raced to Bakura's side. Yami was holding him up, being careful with him arm.

"Move!" I huffed at him.

He did so quickly, moving so that I had clear access to Bakura's wound. He must have wiped off the elixir that I had used to try and patch up the wound earlier. I knew that the wound was bad but not this bad! I ignored everything said around me until I heard Mokuba tell one of the suits to pull out the First aid equipment. 'He's gonna need a lot more than First-Aid.'

I followed after Jounouchi, Ryuji and Honda – who was carrying Bakura on his back – all the way back to the duelist's room. I had to dash to Yugi's room to grab one little elixir to help close the wound but I made it back as fast I could. When the suit brought the First Aid box, I yanked it out of his hands.

"Ma'am-!" He went to scold me but Ryuji stopped him.

"Don't even bother, man." He sighed. "She's far more capable to patch him up than the rest of us in here."

I didn't see if the suit's expression changed but he said nothing against Ryuji's words. I simply fiddled through the box to find something that would at least stabilize Bakura in the meantime. There were makeshift stitches that I used to patch together the large wound. I couldn't help but ask myself how he got it. A knife? Probably, it was deep enough for it. Though how did Bakura even get a knife outside of a kitchen? I shook the thoughts away as I wrapped up the wound once more in clean bandages. That was the best I could do, I prayed it was enough. I left to wash my hands clean of the blood and returned to see the gang all gathered around the sleeping Bakura. "I wish I could do more but… I don't have the skill to close something that deep."

"You've at least given him a chance." Yugi replied. "Thanks, Christine!"

I smiled at him; it was nice to recognized for the work. Jounouchi soon soured the mood with his dark thoughts.

"It doesn't feel good, even though Yugi won the first round!" Jounouchi griped.

That made Yugi sigh. Sighing myself, I stepped fully back into the room to settle in the seating area across from the bed.

"I didn't expect the duel with Ryou would be so intense! That duel was hard! On that last turn… the other me really could have lost!"

"What?" Anzu asked for clarification.

"When Bakura switched back to his good self, the other me couldn't attack. If the evil Bakura hadn't come back, we'd have lost rather than kill our friend…"

"So you're saying the Millennium Ring's personality let you win?" Jounouchi gasped.

"Well… I think he thought I **was** going to attack. That's why he switched personalities… to keep himself from getting killed by the god!"

"Speaking of the god…" Honda jumped in. "What the heck was that, Christine?"

I looked over to him, eyebrow raised in confusion. "It caught you!"

"Huh?"

I sighed as I turned to see all eyes on me. I leaned onto my legs as I replied.

"I have no idea, really." I tried to play it off. "I don't know."

"I wouldn't say it's nothing." Anzu argued.

I gave Anzu a dark look, hoping she'd stop. She simply returned the look. "Even when she tried to step away from the tail, it followed her!" All eyes returned to me so I crossed my arms petulantly.

"Slifer's done it before, hasn't he?" Yugi breathed and the annoyance left my body in a sigh.

"When Marik's doll summoned him." I answered. "Tried to wrap around my ankle and pull me… somewhere."

"Well, if it was protecting you…" Ryuji brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Maybe it was trying to get you out of the way of its attack."

"What?" I sat up, intrigued at his words.

"If I'm thinking correctly, Slifer was trying to protect you and at that moment, you were in the line of fire. And to protect you…."

"It tried to pull her away from me." Yugi finished.

Ryuji nodded. Yugi and shared a look. With what I told him before that very duel, it created some answers but a lot more questions. Why would Slifer, an Egyptian God Card, want to protect me? It had to do with Yami's and my lost memories. And, until after this tournament, we would be getting no answers.

"Anyway…" Jounouchi pulled the conversation back to where we were before. "Why expose Bakura's real personality in the first place?!"

"It wasn't him. There was another personality inside Bakura! I think you know who…"

"There were three minds inside Bakura?!"

"You got it… Marik!"

That left an uncomfortable silence. We all looked to each other nervously.

"Yugi…" Anzu jumped in. "This Marik guy… How'd he get inside Bakura anyway?"

"The power of the Millennium Rod! I don't understand exactly how, but it has the power to brainwash people."

Jounouchi jumped to his feet then. His expression was harsh; what Yugi just said made him extremely angry.

"Wait a minute!" He barked. "You mean… The same way he brainwashed me and forced us to fight one another?!"

Yugi simply nodded his head and in his anger, Jounouchi punched the wall. I flinched at the cracking sound it made. It had to have hurt as Jounouchi pulled his hand away not long after and gave a whimper of pain.

"Will all duelists please come to the bridge." Roland's voice and image appeared from the TV just above the mark Jounouchi had left. "We will now hold the lottery to decide the match-ups for the second round!"

That made Jounouchi perk up really quick.

"All right! This ain't over! I, the duelist of justice, will beat all the bad guys!"

"Hold your horses!" I huffed as he, along with Yugi and Honda, walked out of the room; I had to run to keep up with them.

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on Bakura!" Anzu called after us.

"Thanks, Anzu!" Honda called back.

"Make sure he doesn't mess with the bandages!" I called as well.

"Will do!"

It was now time for the second round. How much more craziness were we bound to get into?

 **Yami walks into the room to see Marik and Bakura both hugging Robyn.**

 **Yami: What?!**

 **Bakura: Shut up, Pharaoh! Even we know she's had a bad month!**

 **Yami looks to Marik then.**

 **Marik: I'm not entirely evil, I know when to be nice.**

 **Yami heaves a sigh before walking over as well. Robyn looks at the audience like in the office.**

 **Robyn: This is too weird... Make them stop.**


	10. A Copy and A Fake

**Hey all! Back with a new chapter! Time for the next duel of Battle City! Snowing today and both of my classes were cancelled so I thought it was a good day to post.**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own Christine, my OC. If you recognize anything from somewhere, I don't own it either!***

I had to race to Yugi's room first to drop off the elixir that I had used to patch up Bakura's wounds; it would be a pain to carry that for the length of the next duel. Thankfully, Yugi let me borrow his keycard so that I could jump into the room then back out as quickly as I could.

I had just finished closing the door to Yugi's room and turning the corner when my feet twisted underneath me. Curse this blimp for having such tight corners!

I felt myself going down when something else wrapped around my waist. Huh?! The grip stopped me from falling to the ground and was strong enough to not even flinch at my weight. It settled me back onto my feet before releasing me. I turned around and my blood turned to ice at the sight.

The hooded face of Marik was staring down at me.

I tried to jump away but the close corner made that difficult. I was pressed up to the wall, the corner digging into my shoulder blade. Oh god… Oh god… It was the person who had tried to kill all of my friends in one day! And I was alone with him! Yami!

The movement made Marik almost flinch back himself. He took a step back, almost releasing me from his imposing shadow. I blinked and the harsh expression that he wore every single time I saw him melted away. He was… embarrassed? Ashamed?

I relaxed, straightening myself against the wall. This… Was this really…?

With nothing to say, Marik stormed past me. My eyes followed after him. The stern body language returned with each step but after seeing the shameful steps just now… It didn't fit him. I shook off the thoughts. Yugi and Jounouchi were waiting for me in the assembly hall.

When I entered the room, Jounouchi and Mokuba were shouting at the Bingo machine. Jounouchi wanted himself to go but Mokuba wanted Kaiba to go.

"We have our results!" Roland cried, silencing the cries. "The two duelists will be…"

Roland thrust a hand towards Jounouchi first. "Katsuya Jounouchi!"

"Now that's more like it!" Jounouchi cheered. "Who's my opponent?!"

"Vs Marik Ishtar!"

The room went dead. What? I glanced at the hooded man. He still said nothing, hardly caring about the glares Jounouchi was sending his way even as they got to the duel arena. I didn't tell anyone about my tumble in the corridor - Yami would have come out in an instant sending penalty games flying – but… I knew something was more complicated.

I wish I remembered.

I must have missed Jounouchi saying something stupid as when I allowed myself out of my thoughts, everyone had slapped their hand to their forehead. I blinked at all of my friends, trying to show my confusion, but nobody answered my silent question. I gave up and looked back to the duel.

Before Jounouchi made a move, a gust of wind blew his cards out of his hand. The blond had to dash to catch them, grabbing one between his teeth. I sighed. That was even with a newly formed barrier surrounding the blimp. This was ridiculous. He eventually got around to playing Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode. 1800 attack points on the first turn wasn't bad.

Marik drew his card silently and then became a lot chattier once he played his card. Royal Temple was a continuous spell card and I was annoyed that I didn't know this one too well.

"His side of the field turned into an Egyptian temple!"

"Not just a temple." Marik finally spoke in his deep voice. "A sanctuary for the King's treasures… filled with traps that pass judgement on thieves and robbers! Thanks to this card, I can play two traps per turn!"

Oh yeah… The rules right now say that players can only play one face down card at a time. That's annoying. Marik did end up playing two face down cards but not a monster. He had nothing to defend himself but already had a firm hand on the duel.

Jounouchi kept summoning monsters in the next few turns – first Panther Warrior with 2000 attack points then Swordsman of Landstar with only 500 – but not attacking with them. Marik still played no monsters and I got the feeling that his deck was entirely traps, not a single monster. After Marik played another two cards face down, Jounouchi's 'plan' sprung.

"Take a good look at my hurricane that's gonna blow all your cards off the board!"

I loved Giant Trunade! It was played on the board and had begun to activate when Marik's voice cut through the added wind.

"I am the one who trapped you."

Jounouchi's card immediately began to evaporate. "You may have thought that my trap cards were activated by a monster's attack but I was waiting for you to play a spell card!"

Marik had seen through Jounouchi's plan. I shouldn't have been surprised but here we are. "Anti-magic trap, activate! Judgement of Anubis!" Yikes!

A shadowed dog appeared over Marik's head, releasing a large blast that destroyed all of Jounouchi's monsters. Jounouchi's life points dropped to 1850, the combined amount of half of all his monster's attack power.

Obviously riled by Marik's short dialogues with him, Jounouchi kept up with his turn to play Alligator Sword with 1500 attack points. He fell short of attacking, simply playing a face down card and ending his turn. Yugi and I agreed that it was the right move to make. Who knew what those cards were?

Marik passed his next turn and that made Jounouchi all the madder. After playing Rocket Warrior, Jounouchi attacked. Oh boy… Of course, Marik had a trap waiting. "Will of the Wadjet!" It allowed him to take control of Jounouchi's Rocket Warrior until Jounouchi's end phase. Of course, he attacked back. "Reverse flight path! Attack Jounouchi's Alligator!"

"Oh no you don't!"

Jounouchi's face down card flipped to reveal Fairy Box and Alligator Sword was quickly hidden inside. I gave a sigh. We were playing Whack-a-Mole now? Rocket Warrior kept careening towards it until it crashed into the box with a loud boom. When the smoke cleared, both of Jounouchi's monsters were in different holes in the Fairy Box. "Wa ha ha ha ha! You wasted a trap card on this turn! Too bad! My monster's unscratched! Plus I found the weak point of your trap tactic! Your deck's mostly traps and spell cards; in other words, you don't have monsters to shield you! So, if I get rid of all your trap cards, I can finish you off, easy!"

"Are you sure? Haven't you realized it was you who fell for my trap last turn?"

Jounouchi's confidence faded away instantly. "Just as you said, my deck is mostly spell and trap cards but what if a trap card exists that can take the place of a monster card? Then my deck would truly be unbeatable, with none of the weaknesses you speak of!"

I knew the card. It was handy when summoning a protective monster or needing something quick to make a tribute summon. I used it in one or two of my decks back home but not my main one. All three of his face down cards activated to show the same image. "Embodiment of Apophis!" Three humanoids appeared from the cards, snaking protruding from their backs, each one with 1600 attack points and 1800 defense points. Jounouchi, obviously slightly riled, put a card face down and ended his turn, the Fairy Box disappearing with it.

Marik used his turn to attack with his three monsters causing Jounouchi to activate his face down card, Scapegoat. I gave a sigh of relief, he would last the turn! And then…. "De-spell! Your magic is nullified!" What?! The Scapegoats vanished immediately and there was nothing to stop the Snake men's attack.

Jounouchi now only had 50 life points left while Marik still had 4000. My heart dropped when I saw his hand lift up to settle on his deck to surrender.

"No! Jounouchi!" I shouted at him.

"Don't give up!" Honda shouted as well.

"Get up!" Mai cried. "Get up!"

"You can do it, Jounouchi!" Shizuka's cry actually made Jounouchi look up. "Don't let him beat you! You've worked so hard for yourself and your friends! You've come so far and you gave me light when I was wandering in the darkness!"

Shizuka wiped a tear away from her eyes then. "Even if… you can't win… I don't want to see you give up…"

"Jounouchi, you idiot!"

I noticed that Marik had also turned his head to look at Shizuka, his face softer than what it was before. I tilted my head at it. It faded back into the determined expression once he turned back to Jounouchi.

"Since I won…" Marik mused to Jounouchi. "Will you answer one question for me? What did you seek by joining this tournament?"

"There's…" Jounouchi replied after a moment. "Somebody I have to beat."

A shiver ran down my spine at the words. I glanced around to see that Yami hadn't come out but I bet he was watching. "To get to that point… I had to go a long way. I met all kinds of people and I fought them! That's my own Battle City!" Jounouchi snapped his head up then. "That's enough of an answer! Now I got something to say to you! Take back 'Since I won"! I haven't lost yet!"

"Go Jounouchi!" Yugi cheered.

"If I give up now, what am I gonna tell the duelists I fought who paved the way for me? Every single one of them fought me till the very end without giving up!"

"But…" Marik interrupted politely. "There is nothing more you can do… Is it not honorable for a duelist to gracefully turn his back…?"

Marik? Honorable? Ok…. This was getting weird.

Jounouchi ended up reaching to pull a card out of his deck. Another shiver ran down my spine and I turned to see a smile on Yami's face.

"Jounouchi!" He called and the blond turned to look. "Remember this riddle. 'What's something you can show but you can't see?'"

I playfully rolled my eyes. This again? It seemed to perk Jounouchi up as he drew his card. He played two cards face down then ended his turn. No monster… Yikes.

Marik took the chance and attacked with his three monsters. Jounouchi sprung into action. He activated both of his face down cards: one being Foolish Burial and the other being Grave Robber. He put a monster in the graveyard only to summon it to the field… Very nice, Jounouchi.

The next second, all of Marik's traps were obliterated. A smile grew on my face when I saw the monster that destroyed them. One of the coolest monsters in the game: Jinzo.

"Ever heard of Jinzo the Psycho Shocker?" Jounouchi called over the wind. "His 'Trap Sense' lets him destroy all traps on the field! I played him into your graveyard with Foolish Burial, then summoned him with Grave Robber." Jounouchi attacked Marik directly, causing his life points to go down to 1600.

"That was an impressive comeback… You're very brave." Was Marik complimenting him? "Despite being almost out of life points, you showed your pride as a duelist by standing up to me!"

"Shut up! I know you don't mean that! My friendship with Yugi was almost destroyed 'cause of your brainwashing! You're not gonna get away with it! I'm gonna beat you so bad you'll think a pyramid fell on your head!"

Marik's silence was worrying. The Marik I had come to know today would have laughed at their friendship, no complimented Jounouchi's spirit. I turned my head to glance at Marik. Why was I beginning to doubt the identity of this man who called himself Marik?

Marik took his turn, simply playing Swords of Revealing Light. It was effective in giving himself time to get a new plan in place as Jounouchi couldn't attack with Jinzo or a summoned Legendary Fisherman. The next card he drew made his face pale in shock. What the…? He seemed terrified of what he drew. He pushed the expression away when Jounouchi snapped at him and the man played a card face down. Jinzo didn't go off so it was a spell card.

"For now… I place one card within the ark in the temple!"

There was a big show of a large card being enclosed in the box at the top of the temple. I narrowed my eyes at it. Now what could that be?

Jounouchi used his next turn to play Baby Dragon to which Marik replied with playing two cards face down. Jinzo, again, didn't react.

"All right! On my next turn, the Swords of Revealing Light will wear off! You don't have any monsters on your field! You'll be finished after my monsters' all out attack!"

"It's too late for that. I only used Swords of Revealing Light to buy time… to prepare for a ritual."

I called it. Marik flipped over two of his face down cards to reveal two of the three cards necessary to summon a powerful monster. The monster, Selket the Scorpion God, crawled over the temple and I gave a dramatic shiver. True to its name, it was a giant scorpion. Plus, with 2500 attack points, it was more powerful that all of Jounouchi's monsters!

Based on Jounouchi's terrified expression on his next turn, I'm gonna guess that he didn't draw anything helpful. He simply did the best thing and switched his monsters to defense mode. Marik of course used the opportunity to strike. "Demigod Selket! Attack! Your target is Jinzo!" The large scorpion reached over its giant claws to grab the monster and stuffed him into its mouth. I gave a disgusted noise.

"Gross!" I whined.

"I know it is unpleasant to behold but that is Selket's special ability! Selket takes enemies inside itself and adds half of their attack points to its own!"

Uh oh…. What's half of 2400 again…? I watched as 1200 attack points were added to the already formidable 2500 to now make it 3700…. That thing could now beat Kaiba's Blue Eyes. And why was it standing on two legs now?! When Jounouchi still couldn't do anything, Marik took his turn to attack the Legendary Fisherman and increase its attack points again to 4650.

I faintly saw Shizuka flinch to cover her eyes and Jounouchi saw it quickly.

"Shizuka!" Jounouchi called to his sister. "Look at me! Don't close your eyes!"

The girl pulled her hands away from her eyes only a hair. "I might lose, but… watch till the end! You found a light in the darkness! A light called courage! So don't hide in the dark anymore!"

I saw Shizuka nod her head but my gaze was quickly taken to the pensive expression quickly taking over Marik's expression. What Jounouchi had said must have struck a chord in him. Jounouchi quickly turned back to the duel, declaring he was keeping Baby Dragon in Defense mode and ending his turn.

"You insist on dueling, despite the fact that you have no chance…" Marik commented aloud.

"Even if it's useless, I'll fight until my life hits zero!"

"I respect your spirit."

There went the doubt again. This time I was sure, this man isn't Marik!

Selket attacked Baby Dragon and its attack points increased to 5225 now. I didn't know a monster that could defeat this thing! "It's your turn… your last turn…"

Jounouchi ended his turn without playing a card. 'Marik' didn't split a smile.

"'What you can show but you can't see…?'" Jounouchi then said aloud before 'Marik' could make his move. "I got a funny feeling, I can't explain it… A little while ago, I reached the point where I was resigned to losing and just then – when winning or losing didn't matter – it's like, I saw something I couldn't see before! Why didn't I figure it out sooner? Must have been the heat of battle… but then I remembered Yugi's words: 'What you can show but you can't see?' Marik brainwashed me! He forced me to fight a duel to the death; a pointless battle that only hurt my and Yugi's hearts! I'll never forgive him for that!"

Jounouchi had caught on… He knew as well!

"Then go ahead and curse me. But… no matter how great your anger, you still cannot defeat me…"

"When this duel started, I really hated you! I hated your guts! But… as the duel went on, I lost that hatred, and I tried to remember how bad it felt when Marik took over my mind…" Jounouchi raised his head to look square at 'Marik'. "But you… **You're** a duelist who fought me fair and square! **So** fair that I **forgot** those bad memories! 'Cause you're not Marik!"

Confusion abounded.

"He's not Marik?" Kaiba demanded. "So he's **not** the wielder of Ra?!"

I continued staring up at the man when my name hit my ears. I turned to see Yami waving me up to him. I had been standing a bit behind him so I took the small steps up to him.

"What's up?" I asked softly.

"I have a bad feeling." Yami replied, taking my wrist in a tight grip, making me roll my eyes.

"Over protective as always."

I changed the grip so that now our fingers were entwined. Yami didn't fight me, only tightening the grip.

Marik went to attack and finish the duel but he stopped short. His face paled drastically. I narrowed my eyes in hopes to see it clearly. Whatever was going on, he looked terrified! I blinked and a resigned expression remained.

"For the last turn…" Marik intoned. "I shall prove that I am the chosen one of Ra."

Yami flinched next to me. "Right now, the god card is resting in the Holy Ark. Though I must sacrifice Mystical Beast Selket and half my life points to open the lid… when it is opened, the Sun Dragon Ra will be unleashed!"

Both the ark opened and Selket vanished out of existence and a shadow materialized over the temple now. I could faintly see a beak and the claws of something but… It was so dark I couldn't make it out. Yami and Kaiba did as their eyes were both wide as dinner plates. Since Selket had 5225 attack points, Ra now had that much power, easily giving it the power needed to defeat Jounouchi in one move. "Sun God! Attack!"

A twinge hit my stomach then. I tightened my grip on Yami's hand to try and distract myself but it only got more painful. I brought a hand to my mouth, expecting to be sick, but nothing came. Yami noticed my discomfort and turned toward me. He tried to get my attention but my attention was stuck on the shadowy Ra. I didn't know how I knew but… I knew that it was angry. Something had made the god utterly furious.

The electric tendrils that began to float across the field then let everyone else in on the angered god. Ra never attacked, fading into even darker mist and vanishing from the field. All the tendrils floated up towards the ark that Ra was summoned from then blasted into the sky.

"What's going on?!" Jounouchi cried across the field.

Before anyone could cry out, the tendrils came back down as mini electric arrows. I flinched back when they began to strike the field close to Jounouchi's feet. What made me scream was when one of the bolts struck 'Marik' in the back. He collapsed to the ground with a thud. Jounouchi was hit in his stomach and his own collapse made me scream again. We all tried to race up to them but Roland stopped us.

"Step back!" He called. "The duel isn't over yet!"

"Are you crazy?!" Honda snapped back. "They're both down!"

"They both have life points left. Even if that last attack hurt them personally, their points in the game were untouched!"

"Who wins the duel then?!" Mai snapped then.

"Whoever stands up first on this turn. Whoever displays the greater willingness to continue will be deemed the winner."

All our eyes moved to the unconscious duelists on the platform above us. I prayed and prayed that Jounouchi would get onto his feet. The rest of the gang were shouting at him, begging for him to stand up. "One minute is left! If neither player is able to stand up during this turn… both will be disqualified from the tournament!" Crap crap crap!

"Wake up, Jounouchi!" I shouted up at him.

It was barely even 10 seconds after I called when Jounouchi hesitantly climbed to his feet. He looked dead but he was standing up. Once he had fully gotten to his feet, my friend's hazel eyes cleared and he blinked at his surroundings.

"Jounouchi!" Yami cried up to him. "You did it!"

Jounouchi looked to us, looking utterly confused. He mumbled something about a building in Domino and we all stared at him like he was crazy.

"You moron!" Mai shouted at him. "You were talking in your sleep!"

Jounouchi still looked confused but he eventually looked over at 'Marik'. I followed his gaze to see that he hadn't stood up. Jounouchi won the duel.

We all dashed onto the platform when Jounouchi raced over to the now unknown man. I had to let go of Yami's hand to settle next to the man, feeling for a pulse, while Jounouchi shouted at him.

"Hey!" Jounouchi shouted. "Wake up!"

The man was bleary, his eyes just barely opening up.

"J-Jounouchi…" The man gasped. "I… am proud to have… fought against… you…"

"Yeah! Me too! You were a real duelist!"

The man's eyes were now fluttering. His pulse was fading slightly, like it would when you were falling asleep. "Hang in there! You're not Marik, are you? Who are you?! Tell me!"

"I am… a shadow…"

The arm closer to Jounouchi reached up to point suddenly at Yami. "Yugi… please… Stop… it… that man's… other…"

He was starting to fade again. I tried to do everything I could to keep him awake but his eyes kept fluttering shut. The gang turned to face something below so I may have been the only one to hear the last thing he said. "Lady… Nefertari…" I blinked, snapping my head up to the man's face. "I'm…. sorry…"

"Why?" I gasped, trying to use my voice to keep him grounded. "Why are you sorry?"

I grasped at his hand. "Please… who are you? What are you talking about?" The man's eyes fluttered closed no matter how much I tried to talk to him. I tried to shake his shoulder now but he didn't open his eyes again. He was completely gone to the world.

I helped carry him to the medical unit but was forced to stand on the far side of the room while the doctors looked him over. Once we were allowed close to the bed again, the doctor allowed us to ask questions.

"How is he?" Honda asked. "Will he be all right?"

"His brainwaves are fine." The doctor replied. "The cause is unknown… but I believe he fell into a coma from extreme mental shock."

That I didn't doubt. It was like he was falling asleep while he was talking to us. What on earth had those arrows done?

"Bakura's still sleeping after he collapsed in his duel…" Anzu breathed then. "Too many people have been hurt in this tournament…"

"I got hit when the God Card went crazy, just like he did…" Jounouchi was musing. "Why just him….?"

"'Cause you're thick skinned…" Honda teased.

Jounouchi gave him a quick dirty look, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The blond flinched when his hands hit something in them. "What's up?" Jounouchi lifted his hand and falling out of his hand and to the floor were shards of crystal. Jounouchi looked at me, eyes wide in panic.

"Your crystal…"

I stepped forward, catching some of the shards as they fell out of his hand. The crystal I had made for him and the gang had completely shattered. Ra's wrath had overwhelmed it.

"No…" I breathed, allowing myself to fall to my knees.

Yami was at my side immediately, an arm around my shoulders. He didn't say anything, his eyes probably on my terrified profile. The crystal I had made when bits of my power unlocked were no match for the wrath of the gods. There was no way I could protect my friends from this… And now, Jounouchi was on his own. I looked up at Anzu, since she was mind controlled by Marik, curious to see if it was damaged as well. Anzu messed with her pocket and stared at her own crystal. Through its translucent shine, I could see the large crack that had formed. Anzu's was on its last legs as well…. Tears teamed at my eyes at the anger that rushed through me. My boyfriend tried to say something but my ears couldn't pick it up. I reluctantly allowed Yami to pull me to my feet. He said something to the gang before he guided me out of the room.

He pulled me into another room. He looked me over for any sign that I was truly paying attention but I only stared blankly at him. The spirit gave a sigh before looking down to the shattered crystal in my hand.

"Can you fix it?" Yami asked gently.

I shook my head, amazed that I could hear him.

"The hair is gone. Without it, there is no bond to hold it together. It's… just trash now…"

My voice faded into another round of tears. Yami remained silent for a moment before he finagled my hands to drop the shards into his own. He must have taken them to the trash as his hands were now free when he wrapped me in an embrace. I returned it quickly, the rush of tears so fast that I was now crying into his shoulder. The spirit still said nothing, moving one of his hands to my hair to brush through it gently.

"He called you something." Yami's voice was gentle in my ear when he finally said something. "Nefertari?"

He didn't need any more secrets from me so I told him.

"The name in the cartouche on the stele I showed you. It was my name as your queen. I couldn't be Iliana so I was given that name."

"Does it mean something?"

"Beautiful Companion."

Yami gave a hum, tightening his grip on me. I relaxed into his hold, feeling the tears begin to fade from my eyes. I was still worried though. Yami was on Marik's hit list, practically near the top of it, and I didn't know if I could protect him. "Will you promise me something?"

"What is it?"

"Will you tell me if your crystal shatters too?"

Yami released me, moving his hands to cradle my face. I looked up at him to see an almost disheartened expression on his face.

"Of course. I will let you know as soon as I find out."

I nodded my head, accepting the answer. My boyfriend leaned in to kiss my forehead before he pulled away. "We should get back to the others." I nodded again and was led by the hand out of the room.

I had a really bad feeling about what was going to happen.

 **Hope you all enjoyed it! Odion is such a precious bean and I love him so much!**

 **Marik: I thought I was a precious bean?!**

 **Robyn: You'll be a precious bean again when you stop being a jerk.**

 **Marik: *zubSAD***

 **Bakura laughs hysterically from across the room while Yami nods his head.**


	11. A Tortured Mind

**Hey guys! Happy December and Happy Holidays! We're now getting farther into Battle City and I'm starting to shake with excitement!**

 **Bakura: Mostly because she just realized that, because she's the author, she can cut duels she doesn't want to write.**

 **Shut up! Anyway! I hope you all enjoy!**

 ***I don't own Yugioh! I only own Christine, my OC. If you recognize anything, I don't own it!***

When Yami and I entered the main console, I noticed that Mai looked extra mad. I blinked at her angry expression. It then dawned on me.

"Jounouchi said something mean to Mai." I sighed.

"What gave it away?" Yami deadpanned back. "Her angry expression? Or the fact that Jounouchi has a red mark where Anzu probably pinched him?"

"Can I say both?"

"I would have to agree with that answer."

We both sighed at the supposed rudeness of our friend before fully entering the room. Jounouchi glanced over to me, he was checking to see if I was ok. I nodded my head, a soft smile on my face. The bingo machine was already going and I realized that this one pull would determine this round and the final one.

"For the third duel: The first Duelist is No. 6: Mai Valentine!" Roland cried.

"Good luck, Mai!" Jounouchi cried to her.

Mai didn't turn back to smile at us. I gave a quick glance at Yami seeing him stare at Mai's back. Yep, she was mad. The woman turned towards the stairs up to the platform before her opponent was even called. "Wait, Mai! Your opponent's not decided yet!"

"No matter who they are, I'll win!" Mai simply replied with. "Yugi! Jounouchi! I'll see you in the semi-finals!"

"We'll cheer for you…-!"

"Don't come!"

Mai snapped her head back towards Jounouchi and I saw the anger in her eyes. "I fight alone! I don't need anybody cheering for me!"

"Mai…" I heard Anzu breathe and the woman gave short laugh.

"Don't make me laugh. Always the same strategy: friendship, friendship, friendship, whatever. Jounouchi, I'm not a soft duelist like you!"

That made Jounouchi really mad. He tried to storm at her but Anzu grabbed his jacket to stop him. Mai stormed out of the room, her boots clicking on the ground.

"The next duelist is Marik Ishtar!" Roland called.

Oh no…

We all glanced around at each other before we bolted towards the elevator that would take us up to the platform. Marik was already there by the time we got there, smiling evilly at Mai across the way. She looked utterly frightened already.

"Mai!" Jounouchi called up to her, seeing that she turned her head towards us. "You can do it, Mai! Beat Marik!"

Mai looked conflicted for a moment. She was probably still mad but was touched that we came up anyway. Her annoyed expression came back when she narrowed her eyes.

"I thought I told you not to interfere, Yugi!" Mai snapped. "I fight alone!"

"Sheesh! Stop acting tough for once! We know you're a real duelist but more than that you're our friend!"

Mai's expression faltered for a second before snapping her head towards Marik. My eyes followed to see that looked more than thrilled to have us here. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"This black fog…" Honda breathed, his voice sounding constricted. "It's getting hard to breathe! At first, I thought the air was thin because we're so high up. It's like there's a fog cork down our throats…"

"If it gets any thicker, we won't even be able to see them!"

I had to force myself to breathe. This fog was like a weight on my chest. The touch of it reminded me of Yami's early shadow games. But this was a far darker incarnation of those. Yami must have recognized the similarities as well, snapping his head up at Marik.

"Marik!" Yami shouted. "Don't do this!"

Marik only continued to smile over at Mai. Yami gave a ragged breath before turning to Mai. "Mai! This duel is dangerous! If you lose, you'll die! Just walk away, now!"

"Do you think I'm an amateur, Yugi?!" Mai snapped back. "Once a duelist accepts a duel, if they give it up and turn their back to their enemy, a part of their heart will die forever! You should know that better than anybody else!"

Yami flinched at the words. "Listen, Yugi! You too, Jounouchi! I'll win this duel no matter what happens! So that I can fight you guys next!" Yami was silent still, his eyes narrowed. I surreptitiously took his hand and felt the constricting grip begin to squeeze my own.

"We can't stop her from doing this, can we?" Jounouchi breathed to Yami.

There wasn't anything we could do… I clutched onto Yami even tighter.

Mai started the duel with Amazoness Swordswoman in attack mode and a face down card. Obviously a trap but I knew Marik wasn't to be fooled. I did notice that Mai was looking at her monster a fair bit more than she should have been. Her gaze flickered between something on her chest and her monster. What? Marik took his turn to play Makyura the Destructor, a monster with 100 attack points more than Mai's monster.

When he called for an attack, Mai's trap card flipped. Amazoness Archers was a cool card, helping to stop the attack and lowering Makyura's attack power by 500 points. It was more than enough to be defeated easily.

But when the monster was gone, Mai started to scream.

I flicked my attention between Mai and Marik. Marik looked so calm as he looked through his hand because of Makyura's effect. What on earth?!

"Mai!" Honda shouted. "Pull yourself together!"

"I'll activate this trap card, Rope of Life." Marik said oh so calmly, like he didn't care that Mai was utterly terrified across the way. "This card takes effect on a monster who just died. It revives it with 800 extra attack points and allows it to attack again, though I have to lose all the cards in my hand…"

The monster returned to the field and with a quick cry, it destroyed Mai's Swordswoman. Eyes wide in panic, Mai collapsed to her knees. She was clutching her chest like she was in pain. She had only dropped to 3600 life points…

"Mai!" Jounouchi shouted up at her. "Pull yourself together! You didn't lose that much life!"

Marik still looked so calm and composed, a bright smirk on his face. It made we want to go over there and smack it right off but I bet he would get a kick out of it.

"Mai!" Yami called, shaking me out of my anger. "Don't be confused! It's just an illusion!"

Mai turned her head to look over at him. An illusion? "In a shadow game, willpower is the key to success! Don't let him break you! Those illusions are created by the fear and terror in your heart!"

It took a moment but Mai managed to catch her breath, looked down at her hand again, then stood up. Her strength had come back.

Mai used her turn to play Amazoness Chain Master, with me noticing that it only had 1300 attack points, then played a face down card. She was banking on something, either a special ability or her face down card. I hoped her plan worked. Marik used his turn to play Viser Des and my blood went cold. I hated this card! It may only have 500 attack points but the effect it had wasn't good. It attached itself to Mai's Chain Master but wasn't destroyed on impact.

A squeaking sound faintly hit my ears and Mai began to scream again.

"What's going on?!" Anzu whimpered. "Is she experiencing the same pain as her monster?"

"Mai!" Jounouchi barked. "Get a hold of yourself!"

Yami's constrictive grip turned even more snake like. It was beginning to hurt… The more Mai screamed the tighter his grip was. His anger rolled off in waves and before I could tell him to calm down, he snapped.

"Marik!" Yami snapped. "Stop hurting her!"

"Now now…" Marik was all smiles. "No one can stop a shadow game, Yugi. This woman will die the moment I win…"

"You…"

"That's right, Yugi! Hate me! I've been waiting for 1,000 years. Let your anger reach out and touch my own!"

I finally had to let go of Yami's hand. The grip was too tight and I was scared he might accidentally break my fingers. Yami flinched slightly, turning to me. The eye of Wadjet was burning on his forehead but when he saw me, it faded slightly. I was clutching my fingers, using the slightest bit of my powers to create an ice pack. He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. He turned back to the duel, hands now clenched into fists.

Mai suddenly collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. She must have broken free from the illusion. We all turned to look at her when she began to speak.

"This is… my fight…" She was gasping. "Stay out of it…"

"Mai…" Yami breathed.

"I'm a duelist… I'll fight him till the end!"

No one said anything against her determination. When Mai was sure of something, there was no turning back. I used the moment to return my hand to Yami's; it was sufficiently iced and could last another constrictive grip. Yami flinched again, probably from the cold, but allowed me to return my hand to his. He was still angry but fought not to grip my hand too tightly.

Mai quickly lifted herself up to press a button on her duel disk. "I flip my facedown card! Spell card: Grave Arm!"

That card allowed her to immediately send one card to the graveyard. It didn't work on Viser Des but it would work on her own monster. I was confused at first but when Mai gave a soft smile, I knew this was her plan. "I give up 1000 life points to take a monster from your deck! Your God Card!" We all watched as Mai's Chain Master threw her chain just as she was being pulled into the Graveyard. It hit Marik's deck, pulling out a card and hurling it towards Mai. She flipped it to reveal the image of The Winged Dragon of Ra, the third God Card.

"Yes!"

"You rule, Mai!" Jounouchi cried.

I didn't know whether or not to be elated or worried. I was excited that Mai had taken the God Card but… Would Ra even allow Mai to summon him? I was worried that Mai was going to end up just like Jounouchi and Marik's shadow. Please be careful, Mai…

Mai took her turn, playing two cards face down then summoning Amazoness Fighter. It only had 1500 attack points so Mai was hoping he would attack.

Marik drew for his turn and I'm sure Yami and I both noticed that he only had one card in his hand. He had to discard them to use Rope of Life so it seemed strange. Marik played his only card face down then attacked Mai.

Mai activated Amazoness Spellcaster, switching the two monster's attack points. With her fighter now having 1900 attack points, it was easily able to beat Makyura. His life points dropped to 3600, not much for all of her effort. Marik's head was snapped slightly but he looked back to Mai with a bright smile.

"It feels good when your enemy fall sin to your trap!" Marik cheered. "Card of Last Will!"

Marik was able to draw five cards, replenishing his hand. The movement made me remember that Makyura had a special ability and with Marik's replenished hand… Crap! "Nightmare Wheel!"

Mai's Fighter was pulled towards a hellish wheel, strapped into shackles that stopped it from moving. "The wheel will strip away 500 life points every turn along with intense pain!"

Mai wasn't scared, she actually had a smile on her face. She flipped up Dramatic Rescue. It allowed Mai to return one monster to her hand and play another one in its place. "Are you going to play Ra?" Marik sounded awfully curious.

"No!" Mai huffed back. "I found out during Jounouchi's duel that Ra's attack points are based on the total attack points of the monsters sacrificed to summon it. If I summoned it like that, Ra's attack would be zero!"

"You're quite clever…"

"But… there is a way! A way for me to summon Ra on my next turn!"

Mai recalled Amazoness Fighter to her hand and played Harpy Lady to replace it. I immediately knew how she was gonna get three monsters on the field. By playing Elegant Egotist, one harpy is able to become three! "Sacrificing my three harpies, I summon The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The sky opened up with a bright light. It was almost like the sun was coming out in the middle of the night. I recoiled, averting my eyes and covering them with my free hand. I only looked back up when the light faded slightly. Instead of a large dragon floating above Mai's head, a large golden sphere hovered there. Marik burst into laughter.

"Relax, Mai Valentine… What you summoned is the real thing, the true Ra! But… Alas, it's impossible for a duelist of your caliber to control a god. Only Duelists chosen by God can control it…"

"What do you mean I can't use a god card?! Don't be a fool! When a card's in your hand, you control it! All its powers belong to the duelist who possesses it! As of now, the God Card is mine!"

"In that case, take a look at the God Card in your duel disk…"

Mai looked down to the card and her eyes widened. What had changed? "Well? Can you decipher the script? It contains the key to awakening the true powers of Ra…" With Mai's increasing panic, Marik gave another chuckle. "It's impossible. You can't command God unless you can read that text… Ra's special powers are forbidden to you as well but I'll tell you one thing: those letters are Hieratic text!"

"What the heck's that?!" Jounouchi grouched quickly.

"It's pretty much cursive hieroglyphics." I explained to him. "One of the oldest writing forms the ancient Egyptians had! Used all the way to when Alexander the Great came on the scene in 332 BCE, then Demotic was used a bit more."

"Correct…" Marik chortled down at me, he apparently heard me.

I gave him dirty look but he only kept speaking. "It was the language used for law, literature and religion in Ancient Egypt. Unlike the common Demotic text, only those of special status were taught it. Of course… the chosen ones can read the text with their hearts. And we tomb guardians know it as well."

"Give me a break…" Mai groaned. "This is a card game! A card that only special people can use?!"

"Even Maximillian Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, couldn't decode the hidden powers of Ra… He was forced to literally transcribe the text written on the stones. But his card has a special feature! Like disappearing ink, the letters only become visible in the light emitted by Ra!"

Marik let Mai summon Ra! I clenched my free hand in anger. He just wanted to play with Mai a bit more. "Now – Ra is in Sphere mode! Solve the mystery and change it into Battle Mode!"

Marik playfully let Mai have her turn, mentioning ominously that on his next turn he would attack and Ra wouldn't defend her in Sphere mode. Eyes narrowed, Mai put a card face down and ended her turn. It was all she could do…

Marik pulled a new card for his turn then summoned Viser Shock. The second metal torture device blasted Mai's trap back into her hand. She was defenseless! Marik's two monsters were sent to attack Mai and I nearly screamed when the two torture devices trapped Mai in place. Her screams echoed in my ears. Marik, on the other hand, was laughing like this was the best show in the world. "Quite a show, isn't it, Yugi? Walking on the edge of death… For this woman, pain is her only proof that she still lives! And now! I will begin the preparations for the Shadow Sacrifice." Oh no… Mai! "Yugi… did you know that Ra has three special powers? I'll reveal just one of them…"

Marik began to chant under his breath. I didn't understand the words as he said them but a part of my brain was actively translating them. Something about Ra deciding fate for a player or something, I couldn't make it all out. It was all gibberish. As he chanted though, the large orb began to open. More light spewed from inside, reflecting off of the golden material that was appearing from within. "This is one of Ra's special powers… God himself will serve the player who utters the sacred text!" Ra was now on Marik's side even though Mai summoned it.

It was bullshit… That shouldn't be allowed to happen! Mai summoned it! This was only one of the reasons why Ra was my least favorite God Card.

"Mai!" I shouted up at her.

She didn't even look down at me, her head trapped in the grip of Viser Des. Not even when Jounouchi called her name did she look.

"You're a perfect sacrifice, Mai Valentine… tied to the torture wheel, unable to move your arms and legs, you can't even play your hand on your deck to surrender. I'll make it quick. Just one shot from Ra."

"Stop it, Marik!" Yami barked at the mad man. "The duel is over! You win! There's no need to keep going!"

Marik gave a chortle down at Yami.

"Keep your eyes open, Yugi. I will sacrifice the woman to the shadows and draw our all of your hatred."

He was probably so angry, he forgot to keep his grip on my hand in check. I didn't say anything but I tried to coax his hand into relaxing. Marik explained that he had a large carven scar on his back called the Seal of Memories that, when the time came, the tomb guardian that had it would show it to a reborn King. The price with keeping the secrets in that seal were that they were confined to the darkness and it paid a heavy price on Marik's sanity. This Marik… Yami Marik… was born the day Marik received his scar in an attempt to protect his young mind from the pain and trauma of the experience of the initiation ritual of the tomb guardians. I couldn't help but feel bad for Marik then. All of that trauma on a 10 year old…. Yami Marik gave another laugh. "But now that Odion is gone, I am finally the ruler of this body!" Odion?

"What do you want?! Do you want the God cards?! Or…"

"What do I want…? I have no needs… But if you really want an answer…"

A bright smile took over Yami Marik's face. "I want to destroy all light… all order… and all life besides my own! I want to destroy everything! Destruction is my only pleasure! Destruction gives birth to my world! The Dark World!" Yami gave another growl up at him. "And now… I will sacrifice this miserable woman… Ra! Burn that woman!"

I heard it before I saw it, the gears of the platform when it lifted and fell. The platform began to lower itself! After it reached its lowest level, Jounouchi jumped to be right in front of Mai!

"Jounouchi!" I shouted at him. "What are you doing?!"

"Mai!" Jounouchi barked at Mai, ignoring me. "Get outta here!"

"Move!" Mai shouted back. "You'll get hit!"

"Shut up! I can't just watch my friend get killed!"

"I still have life points left… I can't turn my back on my opponent…"

"Are you crazy?! Hurry up and get out of here!"

"It's no use… I can't move…"

Jounouchi tried to pull Mai's body out of the torture wheel but even I could see that Mai wasn't moving a muscle. She was utterly trapped.

Things only got worse when Ra's attack started building steam. "You need to get out of here, Jounouchi! You still have a duel to fight!"

"I don't care!"

"Don't throw your life away! Run!"

Jounouchi still didn't move. The attack was leaving Ra's mouth and hurtling towards them now. In a last-ditch effort, I set a shield charm on Jounouchi's back, hoping that would be enough to at least lighten the blast. I noticed something else was wrong when I noticed the hand I had used to cast it. It was the one I was holding onto Yami's with…

No!

I looked up just in time to see Ra's attack hit Yami square in the back.

"Yami!" I screamed, hardly caring for the people who still called him Yugi.

The spirit didn't move. He kept stock still while Ra's attack pushed at his back while his gasps of pain were just barely hitting my ears.

"Marik…" I heard him grunt. "Your hatred and anger… I'll take it all on my back! But I swear, I'll send you back to the darkness!"

Yami Marik simply burst into laughter at the words. When Ra's attack faded, Yami fell to the ground, collapsing on his knees first then onto his face. I immediately dashed onto the platform while Yami Marik was declared the winner, hardly caring that he was still standing there. Anzu quickly caught up with me and crouched with me at Yami's side. He was out cold. He wasn't visibly wounded but that didn't mean anything. I quickly settled him onto his back, lifting him slightly so that I could elevate his head and neck. I could hear him breathing and it sent tears streaming down my cheeks. There were footsteps approaching us and I looked up to see Yami Marik, the blade inside the Millennium Rod revealed.

"Shall I tear him apart right here and now…?" Yami Marik asked playfully.

A bout of my powers rose up to freeze the crazed man to the platform. A small part of my mind wanted to give in again but I held it back. I wasn't going to fall to his level.

"Don't even think about it, you nekhet iadhet." I hissed back, my mouth releasing the curse on its own.

"Well well! The language that escapes the great wife's mouth! It's almost entertaining!"

I gave a growl, clutching onto Yami's head even tighter now.

"Why you rotten-!" Jounouchi growled, climbing to his feet.

"Don't worry. I'll kill him in a duel; in the ultimate shadow game befitting the ones chosen by the Millennium Items!"

Jounouchi was frozen in place by something but I didn't look to see; I didn't have to based on the shiver that raced down my spine. My attention was still caught on the soft breaths Yami let out. Why…? Why did he do that? More tears streamed down my cheeks. Why…?

I only faintly heard Yami Marik walk away, cackling madly as he left. If I were still stuck in that frozen contentment from this afternoon, I would have had no objection in freezing him solid.

Yami lifting his head made my thoughts stop.

"Yugi!" Anzu cried when she noticed him lift his head.

"Are you ok?" Jounouchi cried as well.

"I'm all right…" Yami's voice was slightly hoarse.

I didn't say anything as I helped adjust him to sitting fully up. He was a bit wobbly but he managed to settle and sit up by himself. I kept an hand on his back for my own sake.

"Thank goodness!" Anzu huffed at him. "I know you wanted to save Jounouchi and Mai but you almost killed yourself! Don't ever do that again!"

Anzu then flipped her head towards me and Yami turned his head. I was still crying, the arm not helping him sit up was wiping away tears. His hand crept towards his pocket and the flinch he made told me everything I needed to know. His crystal had shattered. It protected Yami as much as it could before falling apart. Now there was nothing I could do to protect him…

I barely noticed Yami adjust himself but did accept the slight embrace when he wrapped an arm around my waist. My arms went around his neck and continued to sob. I faintly heard Yami asking about Mai and his answer didn't help calm me down at all. Yami didn't try to make me release him nor did he apologize for what he did. I figured he wouldn't. We were only forced to move when Roland called that the next match would start soon. Honda and Ryuji had taken Mai down to the medical unit while Anzu and Shizuka remained up on the platform with us.

"Anzu…" I heard Shizuka whisper. "What did that guy mean by 'Great Wife'?"

"I… I don't know…"

I had forgotten that they were there and heard everything. I was about to turn around and explain everything but Yami took my hand and turned me back towards him.

"I'll explain." Yami said gently. "Why don't you go down to Yugi's room to rest?"

"But…" I went to argue.

"No. You've been through enough tonight. Get some rest."

There would be no arguing with him. I eventually gave up and snuck my hand into his pocket to take Yugi's key card. With barely a word in farewell, I turned towards the exit of the platform.

I called the elevator to take me back to the main console and my thoughts overwhelmed me as soon as the quiet hit. Today has been so taxing. Even just standing here, I could feel my legs beginning to wobble. Yami was right, I really did need to rest. The elevator dinged open and I looked up into familiar eyes.

"Lady Isis?"

 **I hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **Marik peeks into the room: Can I be the precious bean?**

 **Robyn points at the chapter above.**

 **Marik: But that wasn't me!**

 **Silence at that. Bakura then jumps in with a black cloak covering his face.**

 **Bakura as Evil Kermit: Don't believe him! He messed up one of your favorite ships!**

 **Robyn thinks about it...**

 **Robyn: He's got a point. Fine, you're the precious bean again.**

 **Marik: Yeah!**

 **Bakura: No!**


	12. Seeking the Past

**Hiya guys! I wanted to get a chapter posted before school started up again - bleg... last semester college. This semester is going to be so much fun...do find the laced sarcasm in that statement; I have to write a combined 40 pages this semester, 20 in just one class! I'm gonna die! Then KH3 comes out next week so I'm gonna have no social life!**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own Christine, my OC. If you recognize something, I don't own that either.***

I thought I had seen the woman from the visions but it was Ishizu Ishtar instead of my former mistress. The two of us simply stared at each other for a moment. I realized my blunder as soon as it left my mouth.

"Crap!" I cursed. "Did I really say that?"

Ishizu's hand reached my cheek before I could curse anymore. She wiped away a few remaining tears, a sad expression reaching her face. The ever-present nostalgia that came with standing near Ishizu was back again and… it felt like everything was just in reach. It faded when she pulled her hand away and walked out towards the dueling platform.

I stood there frozen for a second. Why was she here? She works at the Domino Museum! Why was she on the blimp-!

She had been wearing a Duel disk… She was the eighth competitor…

I raced back onto the platform, seeing her already on the dueling arena and heard Kaiba laughing hysterically at what she had just said.

"Don't make dumb jokes dressed like that!" Kaiba laughed hysterically. "You gave me your god card, remember? You urged me to host Battle City to disband the Ghouls and now you tell me you're going to beat me in the Semi-finals! You are quite bold. You make a good first impression… Ishizu."

I could hear Jounouchi barking angrily about the two planning the tournament together but my eyes remained firmly on Ishizu's back. She had dueled all the way here… Why?

"Christine!" Anzu's voice appeared coming towards me.

I reluctantly turned my head to see her stepping towards me. "Yugi said you should get some rest."

"But…." I tried to argue, turning my head back to Ishizu.

Kaiba had begun to bark at her again, snapping at Roland to start the duel. "Ishizu…"

"She'll be fine. You need to get some rest."

Anzu practically pushed me off the platform before I waved her off and began to walk myself. I turned back once before leaving fully. Ishizu kept her eyes on Kaiba's form. 'Please be all right.'

I didn't want to sit alone but I didn't want to sit in Mai's room; that wound was still raw. I eventually settled in Marik's shadow's room. The doctors had moved on so I was able to sit in a chair and relax. No matter how long I closed my eyes, there was no way I was going to fall asleep. After a while, I gave up and went to sit next to the man. The small monitor above his heart rate – still beeping at a relaxed pace – displaying his brain function was normal, or what I thought was normal, and he was breathing deeply. He was alive at least.

But who was this man? I still didn't know. Yami Marik obviously held him in contempt so… There wasn't much I go on from that but it was something at least.

After nearly an hour of sitting with the man, with only one visitor being a suit handing me a key card that supposedly would get me into Yugi's room made by Mokuba's orders or something, I decided to go to Mai's room and sit with Honda and Ryuji. I should go and be with people for a little bit. The thought of sitting with Mai made it a little unsettling though. I shook it off walking out the door of the medical bay.

I ran into Ishizu again as she was about to knock on the door.

We stared for at each other for a second before she gave a smile.

"Are you ok, Christine?" She asked gently. "'You weren't there for the duel."

I gave a laugh. Head dropping slightly to look at the ground.

"Yeah, just tired." I replied, looking back up to her. "I take it Kaiba won?"

Ishizu gave a soft sigh at that, nodding her head gently. "I hate to sound against you but I kinda expected it. It's Kaiba after all." The sigh became a laugh.

"Mmmm. I shouldn't have looked down on his ability."

Ishizu then lifted a hand to brush her thumb under my eye. The tears were long gone but the tear tracks were still there. "You have been through so much today." I gave a sigh, dropping my head again. "I'm sorry for what my brother has done."

Her brother… That was the one thing I was allowed to remember at that moment. Ishizu and Marik were siblings and yet something happened in their past to cause them to be completely different.

"There is no need for you to apologize, Ishizu. There was nothing—"

"There were many things I could have done. And yet I chose to do nothing. I chose…"

Ishizu's hand left my face and moved to the Millennium Necklace. "I chose to listen to the Millennium Necklace's prophecy. And look where it's brought me…" The woman's head dropped, hand still on the Millennium Necklace.

I reached over to take her free hand and Ishizu's face immediately lifted to stare wide eyed at me.

"It brought you to me. That's what it did."

Ishizu simply blinked at my words. "It brought you to the people who could save Marik from himself. You said so yourself: Kaiba changing the future gave you hope that Marik could be saved, right?" Ishizu blinked again, probably wondering how I knew that she'd said that since I wasn't anywhere near the platform when she said it.

It took a second but Ishizu finally gave a smile. Her hand returning my grip.

"You're right. Thank you, my queen."

I gave an embarrassed smile at the title. The nostalgia that came with the familiar title, albeit not the same one, washed over me.

She kept her hand on mine for a moment longer before she released it. Both of her hands then moved to the tie of her Millennium Necklace. I watched as she undid the tie and held out the necklace to me. "The Millennium Necklace is losing its power. When Seto changed the future, the signals have been weak." The woman pressed the necklace into my hands, leaving me holding it like it was going to break at a simple touch.

"But… Shouldn't you be giving this to Yugi?" I argued, holding the necklace back out to her.

"I know you, Christine. It will go to him in time but I wanted to give it to someone who already knows its touch. You and the Pharaoh will need its gifts before this tournament is done."

I blinked at her again. What? "I am going to see Ms. Valentine in her room. Will you be joining the rest of your friends?" The question knocked me out of my surprise for the moment.

"No…" I replied, shaking off my decision from earlier to go sit with Honda and Ryuji in my friend's room. "I need a moment alone."

"Very well. I shall see you later, Christine."

I nodded but before Ishizu could turn around I remembered that I still had Yugi's key card.

"Could you give Yugi this?" I adjusted the Millennium Necklace so that I could hold out his room key to her. "He'll need it when he goes to bed."

"Of course, dear."

Ishizu gave one last smile to me as she took the key card before turning to walk down another hall. I didn't know what to think… She just handed me her Millennium Necklace. I stared down at it for a second, the golden sheen reflecting the white lights above. I looked back up to see the last few steps Ishizu made before she turned the corner. She trusted me enough with it… I gave a sigh. I was exhausted.

Yugi was most likely remaining with Jounouchi a little while longer so I decided to walk back to Yugi's room. My thoughts were on the golden necklace in my hand as I slid the key given to me through the scanner and into Yugi's room.

I contemplated sitting down on the couch but my feet had me enter the bathroom first. The mirror inside was small but still large enough to see my neck. I looked down to the Millennium Necklace. It wasn't stinging me like it had back at the museum yesterday; so it really did stop recognizing Ishizu as its owner.

Was it really only yesterday that I held this for the first time? I gave a loud sigh. Today had been so long that it felt like a lifetime.

'Lady Isis, whenever she could, liked to let you wear it and pretend to be Lady Mereyam, her mistress.' My voice suddenly repeated in my head.

I looked back down to the Millennium Necklace. I played around with this thing? There was that memory of Lady Isis trying to tie it around my neck... I wrapped the cords around my neck and tied it into a loose knot. I looked back up to see the necklace glint back at me. I expected another vision but nothing came. I sighed, walking out of the bathroom without taking the necklace off.

I moved to window where I watched the remnants of the city pass by below us. I hoped Grandpa was ok. He was alone at the shop... most likely at the mercy of any remaining ghouls on the ground. I growled.

Marik had hurt too many people today. I was ready for him to go down.

My anger felt heavy. It weighed me down in a way that only made me sad. I gave another sigh. My temper was really being pulled to its limits. I leaned against the wall of room and shut my eyes.

I didn't even feel myself fall asleep.

When my eyes opened, I was greeted with the door to my mind once more. The large door stood silently above me. Everything looked ok... Then, the large scratches on it caught my eye. They were littered on the bottom quarter of the door, right where you would pull it open. The pain from this morning when Marik's Rare Hunter looked at me. This was what was accomplished from that.

Marik really did try to get in... He tried to use me. He wanted to have someone close to Yami, his own queen, as his pawn. It was the same as Shadi. It was just another person who wanted revenge against one of the people I cared for most. I felt angry tears well up at my eyes. Was that all I was good for? Being a pawn for someone's revenge?

No... no more... I was tired of being a pawn. I would do something.

I lifted my hand towards the door and created my new barrier. I heard the distinct lock of the door and the lock on the outside began to slowly materialize. Everything inside would be fine; they didn't need the outside of the room to survive.

"Christine..." A woman's voice appeared next to me. "Is this really the right thing to do?"

I glanced over to see a woman I didn't know. Her dark hair was long and her white dress practically translucent over her body. I saw the faint outlines of wings on her back. Her voice is what made me recognize her. This was the woman who tried to wake me up this afternoon. Faintly though, I also remembered that it was the voice that bade me to sleep during the Shadi incident.

"It's my only option." I replied dryly. "I will no longer be a pawn."

"You won't..."

"How do you know that?" I snapped, turning my head to look at her.

She said nothing to defend herself. Her dark blue eyes were laden with sadness but I had no time to feel pity. I turned back to the door again.

I finished my spell, the lock fully appearing on the door to my mind. What would be the key? There were lots of things I could do; I could get extremely creative with how intricate I could make it. I then came across an idea that fit to my liking. Myself. Only those who knew the real me could get in.

I moved my hand away from the door to the area next to me and imagined my guardians. The me of my pasts; the people who helped define me to my family and friends.

The guardians materialized as two blue orbs that hovered at eye level. They seemed to stare at me for a moment before the larger of the two immediately flew off into the corridors of my mind, determined as always. The other one remained. It hovered for a second longer before taking the shape that I wanted it to.

Iliana stepped gently to the ground, a soft smile on her face. She stepped over to me, brushing a finger to move a strand of hair out of my face. Her thumb also brushed under my eye like she was brushing a tear away. She then looked over to the woman. The smile faltered slightly before it fell completely into a scowl.

"I see you're causing trouble again, Isis." Iliana commented, her voice surprisingly harsh.

The woman's - Isis' - head dropped slightly. I tilted my head slightly in confusion. She was acknowledging something?

"My apologies, my queen." The woman replied. "I only wished to help."

"And I see how that turned out."

Isis' head only dropped further. Iliana gave an angry sigh at the silence. "If you wished to help, why did you send Marshmallow away when Shadi arrived? He guards her! Why?!"

"I have no excuse, my queen. I..."

"You were only helping yourself!"

Iliana was really mad now. Her calm face was replaced with a deep scowl.

"Hey!" I finally snapped, stepping to be in between the women. "Stop it!"

Isis remained demure, her eyes directly on the shadowy ground, but it took a moment for Iliana to settle. The queen's glare remained clear as day even after nearly a minute. "Isis...?" The woman looked up at me. "What happened? Why is - am I so mad at you?" The woman looked back to the ground. She was silent for a minute, most likely gathering her thoughts, before she spoke.

"I allowed Shadi into your mind." She replied softly.

It clicked. She was the woman Marshmallow spoke off; the woman, he called her. The one who claimed to want what was best for me...

"Why?"

"The disciple of Anubis wasn't going to be stopped. He would have torn your mind apart in his search."

"How do you know that?!" Iliana snapped. "How could you possibly know that?!"

I gave myself a look. Iliana must not have expected it as she blinked at my glare. Her own expression slipped slightly. She eventually raised her hands in surrender but I highly doubted that she was done interrupting.

"You were saying?" I had Isis continue while continuing to look at Iliana.

"Revenge clouded his mind and I knew there was nothing I could do to deter him." Isis continued.

"Why not send him out?" I turned my head back to the goddess then.

"It's never that easy. Shadi has always been persistent."

It seems like she was speaking from experience. "I thought that by essentially giving him what he wanted would get him out all the faster. He swore that he wouldn't harm you but I didn't take him at his word." Isis gave a growl, an almost uncharacteristic sound coming out of her mouth. "And I was right to do so. That light... Grrr!"

"What did you do?"

Her head had raised almost defiantly. The blue eyes she sported were directly on Iliana instead of me.

"Shadi's control had locked away the rest of your mental defenses but I managed to keep Marshmallow awake to thwart him."

So that was how Marshmallow was able to protect me. Why didn't he say anything then? Maybe he didn't even know... "With him still active and myself to create the ruse of Shadi's plan coming to fruition, it gave enough time for Yugi to fulfill his part. I did not leave you defenseless nor would I allow Shadi to have his way."

"Yet she still was nearly controlled into strangling Yugi." Iliana muttered.

"She didn't, though." Her voice turned harsh then. "I know Christine's strength - your strength - she wouldn't let someone like him get the better of her."

Iliana had no snappy response to that. The queen released a breath, most likely calming herself down. Isis took the moment to turn back to me. Her voice was sweeter this time but showed remorse. "I apologize for the pain I caused you that day, I should have done more but with the Disciple of Anubis constantly there, I had no clear opportunity to strike."

I wasn't sure how to respond. This woman essentially gave Shadi control of my body but still protected me from him. She made me fall asleep from the pain he caused and she even tried to wake me up from losing my temper today. She was looking out for me but... I breathed a sigh.

"Thank you for everything you've done, Isis." I managed to say calmly. "But... I think I can handle it myself now."

Isis didn't look mad. Her face only melted into a sweet smile.

"Of course, Christine." Isis bowed her head slightly. "I agree that my time here is done; I must turn my focus elsewhere."

She turned to walk into the darkness but before she 'left', she turned back. "I would be still careful, Christine. Your guardian also has designs over your body for the sake of emotions." I could only blink my response, giving Isis more than enough time to escape further questioning.

"What did she mean by that?" I asked, turning my head towards Iliana.

The former queen actually looked nervous. Her fists were clenched into her dress, eyes turned away from me. "Hey..." The queen gave a sudden sigh.

"All right... she was telling the truth." The queen admitted.

I raised an eyebrow, making her sigh again. "Isis wasn't the only one at fault for taking your body from you!" The raised eyebrow dropped.

"You... you've taken over my body before?"

Iliana nodded. She still wasn't looking at me.

"Two... maybe three times?"

"Why?"

"For your protection!"

Iliana's head had snapped towards me, eyes filled with annoyance. I didn't flinch at the sudden movement which caused the anger to die out faster. She gave a huff before relaxing ever so slightly. "I apologize, that was uncalled for."

Iliana worked to calm herself down. She took deep breaths, releasing the tension in her shoulders. When she opened her eyes again, the green eyes were swimming in memories.

"When?"

Iliana didn't move to reply. She seemed to be gathering her thoughts about how to answer. It remained silent until the queen finally turned her head towards me and held out her hand.

"It would be easier to show you."

I reached my hand into her hers and my vision was immediately turned to black. It was only a blink until a familiar sight reached me. It was the lobby outside the circle from home. Everything looked the same as the last time I was there but a little blonde girl in a pink summer dress dragging her new friend made me pause. It was the day I met Meg. I remembered it. The guard wouldn't let her in and... The fearful expression of the guard was there again but this time I could see what scared him. There was a faint image of a hand on my blonde head that lifted into the full image of Iliana. Her gaze on the guard was harsh and that gave six-year-old me enough momentum to pull my new friend into the circle.

I blinked again and a new sight greeted me. The crone was seated in a chair, berating a now 12-year-old me. I remembered the tears as I tried to explain that nothing would work, my powers had sealed themselves away. I remembered my desire to go home, to be with my father; I was tired of being boarded at the circle where I was treated like a volatile object that might explode at any second. The crone only continued to berate me for not having adequate control of my rapidly growing powers. This time I could see the snap, where my vision had gone dark and Iliana had taken over. My eyes were dark with anger and clearly not my own. Before the crone could react, my hand had shot toward her and her entire body froze to the chair. I could see the terrified expression on her face and it made my heart drop. I turned back to myself to see Iliana helping to lead me out of the chamber. Before she left though, Iliana turned back once to say something: 'Careful, darling. Do this again and I won't be so kind.'

I blinked once more. The ocean view I had at Domino Pier. I was wrapped once more in the Ghoul's tight grip and I watched as my body went limp. The Ghoul went to try and reattach his grip but he barely got a hand on me before his arm froze. This was when my vision went black but my body was still moving and my eyes were once more the angry green color. I stepped out from the Ghoul's reach, snapping my hand towards the one holding Mokuba. His own grip faltered as his arm was also frozen. He tried to adjust himself but Mokuba squirmed out of his grasp and over to his brother. My body was still moving though. With another wave of my hand, the Ghoul holding him was pushed into the bay, the splash echoing in my ears. The Ghoul that had been holding me tried once more to restrain me but as soon as he wrapped his arms around me, my power exploded. The sound of his scream echoed in my ears up until the only thing I could hear was crackling.

I blinked again and saw that I was back with Iliana in the entrance of my mind. The queen was pulling her hand away, eyes on the shadowy ground. "I am nothing more than a hypocrite, aren't I? I berated Isis for allowing your body to be taken while I have taken it myself many times..." She breathed a sigh. "I shouldn't be a guardian of your mind."

Iliana went to step away but I yanked her back. She flinched at my tight grip, flying limply towards me when I pulled.

"Stop it."

Iliana blinked at my words. "You may have done it on a whim but I know... I know you meant well. You wanted to help me, wanted to keep me safe, until the day I had to come back here. Now that I think about it, it may not have been all that different than Yugi and Yami were. I'm not angry."

I actually saw tears spring up behind Iliana's eyes. I didn't take back or add anymore words, keeping silent. The queen gave a shuddering breath before letting her hand go limp in my grip.

"Thank you."

I raised an eyebrow playfully. She was thanking me for not being mad? We remained quiet for a moment longer before she finagled her way out of my grip and tapped my shoulder. "You should wake up. Sleep any longer and you'll never get to bed."

I didn't get the chance to reply as my eyes were opening up back on the blimp. Someone was tapping my shoulder and a voice was whispering.

"Christine?" It was Yugi's voice. "Christine?"

I gave a light groan but fully opened my eyes. My vision was blurry and I was thankful that there were no tears left behind by the memories. I rubbed my eyes to clear some of the sleep from them. "You ok?" I smiled up at my friend.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

Yugi didn't seem convinced as he looked to the Millennium Necklace wrapped around my neck. I pressed my fingers to the eye. "Ishizu told me I would play with this thing as a kid; kinda crazy, huh?"

"Yeah..."

I wrapped my hand around the eye now. The memories were so close - I could practically feel them pushing at the edges of my mind -, but they refused to materialize. They were teasing me and I hated it. The frustration formed tears in the corners of my eyes.

"I wish I could remember something; not knowing is so frustrating."

As if it was listening, the Millennium Necklace lit up under my fingers. Yugi gasped as the blimp around us vanished. The scenery changed into the same Egyptian temple as the first vision. It was daylight now but it was still plenty dark on the ground far below the clerestory windows. Yugi stared wide eyed at the scenery until our attentions were grabbed by a chirping voice.

"Lady Isis, look at me!"

It was my voice.

Looking over at the scene, I was around 10 now and racing into the same chapel that I was given to Lady Isis in that first vision. Yugi stared amazed at the copy as she passed. Around her neck was the Millennium Necklace, clinking loudly on her skin and clothes. Isis was seated on a stool, looking over a scroll. She was probably 17 now. She looked up from her scroll just as my head of blonde hair popped over to her. She gave a smile before giving an exaggerated bow.

"Oh, Lady Mereyam!" She teased in her bow. "How may I assist you, mistress?"

Little me gave a loud giggle. Setting aside her scroll, Lady Isis lifted me up into her lap and gave a tight hug. "How much begging did you have to do to get that?"

"Not much!"

Lady Isis giggled again and it was joined by another laugh. The older woman from the first vision entered the room, her chest clear of the trinket that sat now around my neck.

"Iliana simply knows how to be cute enough to get her way." Lady Mereyam giggled.

Little me did nothing to fight her words, giggling loudly. "I'm surprised it doesn't simply reject her like it had others."

"Do you know why, mistress?" Lady Isis asked, looking up from me.

"I do not. But... there is most likely a reason, even if it is not clear to us."

Lady Isis didn't argue with her words, turning back to tussle with my blonde hair again. I stared from across the room at my beaming face until it faded away. I blinked and we were back in Yugi's room. Yugi was blinking rapidly, trying to clear his vision.

"Woah..." He breathed. "So that was..."

"Yep." I breathed in reply. "Young Iliana... young me."

I gave a sigh, reaching up to untie the Millennium Necklace. It was heavy in my hands. The same stinging from yesterday didn't return. I went to hand it to Yugi. "Ishizu would want you to have it." Yugi, surprisingly, shook his head.

"She handed it to you. You hold onto it till the end of the tournament."

I blinked at him. Was he sure? "Yes, I'm sure." I reluctantly nodded my head, remembering Ishizu's words that the trinket would go to him in time, and pulled the Millennium Necklace back to me. I wouldn't put it back on but I'd keep it in my bag.

Yugi settled into bed and I had to convince him I was fine on the small couch in his room; he was the duelist, he needed the better rest. He gave up after a minute of me giving him an annoyed expression, crossing my arms over my chest.

The couch was comfy enough and I was content to fall asleep again when a sniff took over my ears. I froze stiff, keeping quiet, and heard the sound again. Sitting up, I could faintly see Yugi laying in bed, face away from me. I was almost convinced that nothing happened so I tried to close my eyes again. After another sniff, I gave a quiet sigh, stood up and moved over to sit on the bed. Yugi was the source of the sniffs and as soon as I sat down, he attempted to muffle them with a hand pressed to his mouth. My face fell into a small frown. Oh, Yugi...

I settled a hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently. I didn't say anything as I didn't know what to say to make him feel better. The small comfort was enough as Yugi released his tears in earnest now. He sat up to wrap me in a tight hug and I returned it. I still said nothing, using my actions to calm my friend down.

Marik was going to pay for this.

 **Marik: Is she ok?**

 **Robyn is sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth. Bakura looks over at her then back at the TV.**

 **Bakura: Ah, she'll be fine.**

 **Marik: Should I call the Pharaoh?**

 **Bakura: Nah... She's fine.**


	13. Tired and Frustrated

**Hey guys! Sorry about the lack of updates. School has been busy and not a lot of time to write. I'm on the Marik duel at the moment and hope to get that done soon! *Crosses fingers* I can't wait to show you guys the next segment in the saga!**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own Christine. If you recognize anything, I don't own it either!***

It took a while for Yugi to calm down but I eventually got him to sleep. Despite being furious for all of the things Marik had done today, I still needed sleep as well. I returned to the couch and settled to fall asleep myself.

My relaxation was interrupted by quick knocking at the door. Not wanting to wake Yugi, I raced to it, opening it quietly. Ishizu stood behind it, her expression wide in fright.

"Ishizu?" I asked gently.

"I need help." The Egyptian gasped out. "Odion..."

Odion? I raised an eyebrow at the name. Then I recognized it from Mai's duel with Marik. He had kept Marik's dark side trapped inside him. "Please help me, Christine." She seemed so frightened... I barely even gave it a thought before I nodded.

I had to race inside to jack Yugi's keycard so I could get back in then back out the door; I didn't want to play with the card that the suit had given me. Ishizu and I practically ran to the Medical Bay and into the room where Marik's double had been settled. Ishizu immediately began to pull him out of bed. "We need to get him out of here." I helped her but as we walked out of the room, my mouth moved.

"What's going on, Ishizu?"

"I... I heard my brother..."

"What...?"

"He came to me, begging me to save Odion. I fear my brother's dark half may try to kill him to keep control of his body."

"Yikes..."

I helped carry the man to Ishizu's room, a good walk from the medical room where he had been placed, where we settled him onto the bed. Ishizu made sure he was comfortable before leaning back up to look at me.

"Thank you..."

I waved my hand, brushing off her thanks.

"Don't worry about it; you'd do the same for me. It's just a good thing we didn't wake Yami, he'd have killed us."

Ishizu gave a good-natured laugh before I excused myself. I crept back into Yugi's room and was thankful the boy hadn't moved. I returned his keycard and went to turn away when my hand was grabbed. "Eep!"

I was yanked to the bed and an arm wrapped around my waist. I froze stiff. Maybe Yugi was moving in his sleep? The voice in my ear said otherwise.

"So..." Yami said gently. "What was all that about?"

Crap, I did wake him up. How did he sneak up on me? I didn't feel a shiver! I broiled slightly, wondering to myself how he did it. When I came up empty handed, I simply kept my mouth shut. I didn't reply for what seemed like a minute or two, half-heartedly hoping he was just sleep talking. "Christine..." I internally cursed. I wasn't getting out of this.

"Ishizu needed some help, ok? I wasn't going to leave her empty."

Yami hummed. He tightened his grip on my waist and I flinched slightly at a pinch of my skin. Yami gave a sigh, loosening his pinching grip slightly.

"Why do you have to worry me so much?"

I gave a sigh, relaxing into the tight grip. Yami relaxed himself further when he was sure I wasn't going to pull away.

"Sorry. It just happens."

Yami sighed again. "It also doesn't help that you're over protective."

"I am just the right amount of protective."

"Mmmhmmm…"

Yami's grip loosened further. His head moved so that he was resting on my shoulder like kids did when they were pretending to be parrots on a pirate's shoulder. The girlish part of my brain thought it was adorable.

"I'm sorry if I seem overbearing." Yami was apologizing? "I only do it because I care about you, Christine. I don't want to see you hurt."

My face was a dark beet red by the time he finished speaking. "I hope you can forgive me."

"Yeah… Sure…"

Yami chuckled at my stuttering. He probably found it funny that he could rile me up like this.

"Your face is so red…"

"Shut up…"

Yami laughed again, tightening his grip gently so that he was now simply hugging me. His laugh faded into a hum that echoed slightly in the quiet room. I fought to remove the blush from my cheeks but the more Yami settled into me, the brighter it became. "You… You should get to bed. You and Yugi have a big day tomorrow…" Yami gave a sigh at the words, his grip loosening slightly.

"Can I just ask one thing?"

"What?"

Yami was silent for a moment. "Yami?"

"Are you sure you're ok? From this afternoon?"

My heart gave a thump in my chest. Even after all of this, he was still worried about me losing control earlier today. I made me feel a little guilty but it also made me realize what a big heart he had.

I flipped over, adjusting myself accordingly, so that I could wrap my boyfriend into a tight hug. Yami returned it, pressing his face into the crook of my neck. His normally calm breath was slightly ragged, he was fighting to stay calm.

"Thank you for worrying. I'm fine. I've done a bit of thinking and have made the… adjustments to ensure it doesn't happen again."

"You're not a machine, Christine…"

"I know and I didn't mean it like that. Adjustments in how I handle my anger, that's it."

Yami gave another sigh. He still didn't let me go so I turned my head to press a kiss to his neck. "Come on, Yami, you and Yugi need sleep." There was another sigh before Yami released me. I pressed another kiss to his forehead before I climbed out of the bed. As I headed back towards the couch, I heard Yami give one last little whisper at me.

"You aren't going to leave me too, right?"

I turned back towards Yami, eyes wide in surprise. Where was this coming from? The spirit didn't explain himself so I was left with my interpretation of what he meant. I eventually gave him a smile.

"I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

The answer made Yami smile. "Good night, Yami."

"Good night."

I quickly collapsed back onto the couch, closed my eyes, and dropped into slumber.

I was woken by Yugi's gentle tapping the next morning. I gave a groan but Yugi only continued tapping.

"Come on, Christine." Yugi huffed. "We're almost at the island."

"Island?" I groaned, raising a hand to clear my eyes.

Yugi practically pulled me off of the couch and over to the window where I had been sitting last night. Across the water, appearing over the horizon, was a large silver tower built on some kind of island. What the heck even was that? Yugi gathered himself before racing out the door but when I went to follow after him, I hesitated for a second. I went back over to my bag, pulled out the Millennium Necklace and stuffed it into my pocket. I didn't know why I did it but I figured it was better than leaving it alone in the empty room for a few hours.

We passed by Mai's room where I saw Ryuji entering inside. 'He must be staying behind to keep an eye on her' I thought. I had ditched her last night, I should go see her… I quickly wrapped my arms around Yugi's neck, stopping him in his tracks. "I'm gonna sit the beginning of this out and sit with Mai. Call me if something exciting happens."

"Will do."

Before I released him though, I had an inkling that he'd need the golden object in my pocket. In the guise of a quick hug, I stuck the Necklace in his jacket pocket. I then released Yugi, watched him walk down the hall, then I stepped into Mai's room. Ryuji was sitting in the little sitting area inside, mirroring Yugi's room. He looked up and waved at me.

"Hey, Christine." He greeted.

"Hey." I greeted back. "How's Mai?"

Ryuji gave a sigh, jutting his thumb towards the bed. I looked over and my heart dropped. Mai was lying so still in her given bed. The only sound she made was the gentle breathing sounds, accompanied by the beeps of some medical equipment that tracked her vitals. I stepped over to sit on the bed beside her, face dropping into a frown when I saw the pained expression on her face. 'Poor Mai…' "She been like this all night?"

"It flips back and forth." Ryuji stood up to stand next to me. "Most of the time we were in here last night, it was like she was a manikin."

I breathed a sigh. What had Marik done to her? I reached over to take Mai's hand, squeezing it tightly. She did nothing that suggested that she felt my touch, she barely even reacted. "How are you?" There was a moment of hesitation on my part, my brain trying to figure out what I wanted to say.

"Tired. Tired and Frustrated."

My words had a watery turn to them so Ryuji didn't say anything. "My friends have always been in the middle of some crazed person's plans. First with Kaiba, then Pegasus and now this. Why can't they just leave us alone…" A sob escaped my throat, tears beginning to stream down my cheeks. "I'm trying to be strong for their sakes but… No matter what I do, I can't protect any of them. Ya… Yugi and Jounouchi are now completely at Marik's mercy, there's nothing I can do." I felt Ryuji's hand press itself to my shoulder, squeezing gently. I didn't turn to him, keeping my watery vision on Mai's pained face. "What do I do, Ryuji? What can I do?"

"Well… for starters, stop worrying so much."

I immediately turned to glare at Ryuji. "I'm not saying to not worry at all, I'm saying that you need to stop worrying so much that it harms your sanity." I turned back to Mai when he kept speaking. "Jounouchi and Yugi can take care of themselves; they're competent duelists and you know they won't go down without a fight." Ryuji squeezed my shoulder again. "I know you worry about them, Christine, but you have to have faith that they can do this themselves." I took a moment to think it over before nodding. Ryuji was right; I couldn't mother them forever. Ryuji released my shoulder before pulling a chair over and sitting next to me.

We sat in silence for a while before Ryuji called Honda to let him in on the fact that Mai's condition hadn't changed. Ryuji then looked over at me, asking if I had seen Bakura at all. I hadn't even known Bakura was even missing; I simply shook my head and Ryuji told Honda that we hadn't seen him at all. He then promised that we'd keep an eye on Mai then hung up. I hoped everyone was ok.

The two of us sat once again in silence, me holding tightly to Mai's hand. Her touch sent tingles over my skin and I was sad to have recognized it; the touch of a Shadow Game. Is this what Marik had done to her while I was too fixated on Yami's unconscious form? I felt guilty for allowing it to happen. I shook it off quickly. There was nothing I could have done! Mai accepted the consequences of playing a Shadow Game and now we had to work at breaking her free.

When there was still no word from the gang at the tower, Ryuji pulled his phone out again to check the time. "It's been awfully quiet over there."

"I agree…"

I finally released Mai's hand and stood up. "I'll go over and see what's up. You keep an eye on Mai." Ryuji nodded at my suggestion and I walked out of the room.

There were the sounds of scrambling when I exited Mai's room. There were muffled shouts through a walkie-talkie but I was unable to make them out. Mokuba was probably going power crazed since his brother was around. I rolled my eyes before I kept walking. By the time I was out of the blimp, the scrambling had gotten much closer.

"Clear the way!" A voice called out and I turned around.

The medical squad were rushing out of the blimp, running at full tilt. I jumped out of the way, jumping down two steps so that I was out of their way faster. They said nothing more as they raced over to the towers with a…. 'What are they doing with a gurney?' My heart started racing in my chest. "Oh god…."

I bolted towards the Tower; the medical staff had already jumped into an elevator. I had to fight to make sure my knees didn't collapse under me. Before I could call an elevator, one opened and I was greeted with the horrified face of Honda. "I just saw a medical group running in with a gurney! What the hell happened?!" Honda said nothing in reply. "Honda?!" My friend just walked past me, heading back towards the blimp. Anzu and Shizuka stepped out behind him, the younger girl absolutely bawling. Yami stepped out last, his head down towards the ground. "Yami?" Not even Yami looked up at my call of his name. "Will someone tell me what's going on?!" Still with no one saying anything, the second elevator opened and the medical staff raced out.

Jounouchi was strapped tightly to the gurney. I barely got a glance of him as the medics raced off with him.

I watched as he was raced back towards the blimp, my heart feeling like it was dissolving in my stomach. "Jounouchi…" I turned back towards Yami. "What happened?" My boyfriend still said nothing but he finally moved. He started to walk past me as well but I refused to be left behind. I stepped after him so I could press a hand to the small of his back. It kept him walking but he refused to lean into my touch like he did sometimes. He remained silent as we walked back to the blimp. I had never seen him like this… What had happened on that tower?

Shizuka's wails echoed through the blimp. When Yami and I entered the room they emanated from, I saw Shizuka laying her head on her arms crying loudly. Ishizu had her hands on the girl's shoulders, hoping to calm her. My eyes flipped from person to person, seeing only despair on their faces. I had to leave Yami so that I could look over Jounouchi hooked up to a large number of electrodes. "Are there any vitals? Brain function?" The doctor shook his head.

"There's nothing…" The man said gently.

No…. My knees finally collapsed under me, my hands still pressed to the bed. Jounouchi was gone? No wonder everyone was half dead, not wanting to talk to me. I didn't need anyone to tell me who he had dueled, the fact that my friend wasn't breathing in a medical bay bed was proof enough. Tears streamed down my cheeks again and I was lost just like Shizuka.

It was just as I'd feared… I couldn't protect him anymore, couldn't protect anyone. I highly doubt that anything I did would have protected him from Ra or Marik's evil but… I gave a sob, hiding all the light from my eyes.

It was just what I deserved. This was just the universe showing me that there was nothing I could do to protect my friends, a punishment for something I had done.

I felt the gentle touch of hands on my shoulders but I didn't move to react to them. They squeezed the skin at my shoulders gently, still letting me know they were there. I let them stay there. I wasn't going to fight them off.

I eventually raised my head, turning to see the face of Ishizu above me. She didn't say anything, only giving me a soft smile. Like there was anything to smile about right now. She helped me up to my feet before she whispered gently into my ear.

"Have faith, dear." She whispered.

Have faith? In what?! I went to snap at her but the words faded into a shriek as I was lifted off of my feet.

"What the-?!"' I shrieked.

"Keep a hold of her feet, Ryuji!" Honda shouted from behind my head.

"I'm trying!" Ryuji barked back, trying to get a firm grip of my ankles. "She's trying to kick me!"

The two boys had yanked me off of my feet, Honda holding my arms and shoulders while Ryuji had a hold of my ankles and legs. They were practically carrying me out of the room and into the hall.

"Put me down, you little shits!" I shrieked at them.

Simply, they didn't put me down. Ishizu watched as the two carried me out of the room with me fighting the entire way.

"Hey, Yugi!" Honda called.

"It's dangerous out there, take this!" Ryuji called as well.

Whatever conversation had been going on in the hall had silenced in the face of their carrying me. I continued to fight back, nearly kicking Ryuji in the chest with my booted foot. When they lost control of me, I nearly collapsed onto the ground and growled as the two ran to block my way back into the room.

"Now what's the big idea, you two?!" I growled at them.

Honda and Ryuji were all smiles, not saying a word. "Come on! Say- Aghk!" My hand was suddenly tugged and I was pulled down the hall. "Hey!"

"Come on, Mereret." Yami's simple phrase sent a bright blush to my cheeks; it wasn't the phrase itself, it was the familiar pet name that set it off.

I was stunned into silence, finally allowing myself to be dragged down the hall and even out of the blimp with no argument. When we reached the tower elevator and were headed up, my throat opened and I was able to turn my head towards Yami.

"How… How did you know that name?"

Yami didn't reply for a second. I thought he was ignoring me again until he moved a hand to his pocket and tossed me the Millennium Necklace. I caught it quickly in my one hand, seeing the familiar shine in the artificial lights. "I thought you'd need it…"

"And I did."

I looked over to see Yami glancing back at me. "It gave me hope that Jounouchi can be saved but it also showed me something else, a breath of a moment." Yami looked back to the doors of the elevator. "Nefertari Ankh Meret Nsw… That was one of the names you had, right?" It wasn't the one that Ishizu had told me but the one inscribed on the stele I had seen was part of a set. "It wasn't just a name you were given… I gave it to you." Yami gave a chuckle. "I couldn't see it but you sounded so mad, snapping that there was no way that was going to be carved on walls." My face was bright red. This was utterly embarrassing.

"Well… you know what it means, right? Of course I'd be angry!"

Yami gave a slight chuckle again. My eyes narrowed as I looked at him. "You know something else…" An actual smile took over his face then. Even with everything, he could smile…

"You stomped away, not realizing that I already had put up stuff with that name."

I kept my narrowed eyes on Yami as he chuckled to himself.

"Really?" I deadpanned at him, only receiving more laughter.

I huffed at him, putting my free hand in my pocket, the Millennium Necklace weighing down my jacket slightly. I wanted to stay mad but he was actually laughing, he was taking what happiness he could get before everything had to become serious again. If I could do that for him, then I guess I was fine with it.

I leaned into Yami's side, tightening the grip on his hand. His laughter stopped after a few moments as he returned the pressure. "I'm cheering for you, know that." I felt Yami nod his head and I released him just as the elevator doors opened.

(Ankh Meret Nsw: Living and Beloved of the King)

 **Robyn: Hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **Marik: Are you finally over your rocking in a corner?**

 **Robyn: Nope, I'm heading right back to that after finishing this.**

 **Bakura: What did I tell you?**

 **Marik: sighs.**


	14. The Clash of the Gods

**Hi, guys! Long delay, I know, but I come to you from Rome! It's going to be hot as heck this week and I have to walk around the city... *Starts crying because I'm pale* I'm here for another two weeks or so then I'll be back home and will have a week of nothing to finish up this section of the saga! Thank you all for waiting and hope you all are having a wonderful summer!**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! If you recognize anything, I don't own it. I only own my OC, Christine.***

Yami stepped over to what I assumed was the dueling platform as Kaiba was standing on it. Mokuba was down below, cheering loudly at his elder brother. I ignored the cruelty of Kaiba's words towards Jounouchi, looking down at what he and Yami had promised at the beginning of this tournament. I'd like to think that Kaiba changed after his penalty game but he still was as much of a jerk as when we first met him. Roland called for the beginning of the match and I settled myself in for the long haul as the platform began to rise.

"For a duel to determine the ultimate duelist, this site is too drab…" Kaiba mused after a quick moment of silence. "Therefore, I have prepared a stage worthy for our duel! Slid vision system, activate!"

The tower shook slightly as large projectors slid out from the sides of the tower. Our surroundings began to fade and the loudest thing in my ears were screams and cries. The top of the Tower had become a copy of the Coliseum. Was Kaiba really making a point that Duel Monsters were like Gladiatorial fights? I gave a loud sigh. I need to get that boy back into history class and out of his workshops…

Yami started the duel with Queen's Knight in defense mode. I happily recognized the card, already having a feeling as to what Yami was planning to do. He also played a card face down before ending his turn.

Kaiba had a smirk on his face when he drew his card that I definitely didn't like. He had drawn Obelisk, I knew it, there could have been no other reason as to why he'd smirk like that. He gave nothing away as he summoned X-Head Cannon and placed a face down card. He didn't attack though… I raised my eyebrow at the monster Kaiba had summoned; it had 200 more attack points than Queen's Knight so why didn't it attack?

Yami used his turn to play Kuriboh in defense mode and the smirk on Kaiba's face only got wider. Uh oh… When it was Kaiba's turn again, he played a spell card that made everything click. Soul Exchange gives Kaiba the ability to take Yami's monsters and sacrifice them like his own. In exchange, Yami got X-Head cannon but wasn't going to keep him long as Kaiba then played Enemy Controller. By giving up 1000 life points, he could get his monster back. He had just gotten 3 sacrifices! Crap!

I snapped my head over to Yami just as his face down card flipped up. Light Force Sword! I snapped my head back to Kaiba to see that the card he was holding had been pinned to the ground at his feet. If I tilted my head slightly, I could see the image of Obelisk on the card. Lucky pick!

"Don't get too hasty, Kaiba…" Yami seemingly chastised. "The game has just begun."

Kaiba didn't seem too upset at losing Obelisk, quickly allowing Yami his turn. He only set a card face down as neither of his monsters could destroy X-Head cannon. I thought it was a good move but Kaiba was quick to taunt.

"If you keep running like that, Yugi, your three turns will pass by in an instant…"

Kaiba drew his next card to start his turn, summoning Y-Dragon Head. Yami flinched above me, making my head turn to him. What? "I can see from the fear in your eyes that you've figured it out! When any two of X, Y and Z are summoned, they can fuse!" They did just as he said, the new monster's attack power jumping to 2200. Kaiba quickly showed off his monster's power by destroying Kuriboh, which made me cross my arms in annoyance. "You scared, Yugi? Does it scare you to know that my god will be freed in three turns?" Kaiba gave another laugh. "But… what if I told you that I don't have to wait?" What?

Kaiba pulled a card from his hand, smirk still spreading across his face. "The God Cards always wind up in the hands of the Ultimate Duelist…" The card Kaiba played was called Lullaby of Obedience and my blood immediately went cold at the name. With that card, Kaiba could take control of a super powerful monster in Yami's deck by simply knowing its name! And if I knew Kaiba… "Slifer the Sky Dragon!" Yep, there it is.

Yami had no choice but to take out his deck and take out the god card. "It was hidden deep in you deck, wasn't it? How unfortunate for you… I guess you weren't going to draw it in this duel after all…" Oh shut it, Kaiba… I would have said that out loud except that Yami's face now had a smirk on it. Now what was he smiling about?

"You must have been planning the same thing I was…"

"What?!"

"The moment that Obelisk went free I was planning to use this face down card…"

But now that that was out of the question, he should just play it now. And he did. "I play Exchange!" Yami now had the chance to get Slifer back but Kaiba could also pull a card from Yami's hand. "Thank you, Kaiba." I was tempted to thank Yami for using his manners but time and place. He spent his turn playing Big Shield Gardna in defense mode and another face down card before ending his turn.

Kaiba then set a card face down to start his turn and I noticed Yami flinch slightly. Why could that be? I glanced back to the card Kaiba set. Could it have been the card he took from his hand? If Yami was concerned about it, then it couldn't have been anything good. The CEO then played Z Metal Tank, the final magnet monster who connected immediately with the other two. Kaiba had his three sacrifices for when Obelisk was freed. He finished his turn by destroying Big Shield Gardna but Yami didn't seem all that upset. "You just love an easy target, don't you, Kaiba? I knew you wouldn't be able to resist killing Big Shield Gardna! Now you've given me a chance to win!"

Yami flipped over his face down card to reveal Soul Rope. Since his monster was destroyed this turn, he was allowed to pay 1000 life points to summon a four star monster from his deck. He ended up choosing King's Knight and I knew what he was doing. Thanks to Queen's Knight still being on the field, now that both of them were summoned, Jack's Knight could be special summoned. Yami just got his three sacrifices! There was nothing Kaiba could do as it was the end of his turn, so he could only watch as Yami's turn began.

Slifer was just as imposing as the last time I'd seen him. The large red dragon swirled and spiraled in the clouds for a long moment before descending down over the projected amphitheater. I didn't need to look down in order to know that my ankles were being wrapped by the large tail, I could feel it even through my boots. I kept my eyes on the duel at hand.

Kaiba was quick to point out that Slifer only had 3000 attack points because of the number of cards in Yami's hands. It was still enough to destroy his Dragon Canon so what was Kaiba going on about? The CEO's smirk was back so I was back to worrying about it. Yami had stilled for a moment. He was hesitating. I peeked at the face down card again. Was that what was holding him back? I crossed my arms over my chest, letting my eyes narrow to that side of the field.

Yami's sudden call to attack scared me out of my contemplation. He must have gotten the courage to call attack and the god did so immediately.

"Face down card, reveal!"

I flicked my eyes to see that before the attack even hit, Kaiba's monster was gone! Huh? Oh… it was a card to protect his monsters. "Your turn was wasted Yugi!" Yami didn't say anything in reply, but he did put a card face down and that made Kaiba and me react. He willingly put a card down? Willingly let Slifer's attack points drop to 2000? What was he thinking?

Since Yami ended his turn, the Lightforce Sword's effect ended and Obelisk had returned to Kaiba's hand. Kaiba of course summoned him immediately. The projected Amphitheater shook from the force of the summon, the fake people crying in fear. I wrapped my arms around myself to stop the shaking. Slifer's tail wrapped up even higher around my form, almost like he could feel my shaking, settling at my waist. I had to admit, it was calming.

The moment Kaiba summoned Obelisk though, he activated Slifer's second mouth ability. The Sky God's second mouth opened and a blast of lightning threw Obelisk slightly off balance. Obelisk had 4000 attack points but the blast lowered him to 2000, the same amount as Slifer. It would only last for the turn so Yami had to act fast. Kaiba played another turn and I saw Yami flinch again; he was obviously worried about the card Kaiba took from his hand.

The moment Yami drew a card for his turn, I heard Obelisk regain his strength. Slifer was at 3000 attack points while Obelisk had his original 4000. He didn't set any cards down, ending his turn without really doing anything. Kaiba attacked the moment he could and just before the punch connected, Yami flipped over his face down card. I actually managed a snort when the smiling green face of Pot of Greed appeared; too many jokes. Slifer's attack points jumped to 5000, just more than Obelisk. The responding blast actually started to destroy Obelisk, his face was starting to disappear. Kaiba then flipped over his own card and Yami's eyes widened. Life Shaver was a card I had only seen in passing in Yugi's room, I never expected him to actually use it. For every turn it remains face down, a card is removed from the opponent's hand. Since it was only down for a turn, it only took one card from Yami's hand. They now had the same attack points.

The two gods grappled for what felt like a long time before they started to fall apart. Each wound emitted a large beam of light and, without warning, they both exploded. The blast of light spread across the field, blinding me. I lifted my arms to block the light and soon noticed that all other sounds vanished as well. I kept my eyes shut for fear of blinding myself again but a familiar voice made the worry fade away.

"Psst!" The familiar voice hissed at me. "Yoo hoo!"

I opened my eyes to see the white linen dress and jewelry of Iliana. She was practically beaming at me. I blinked a few times to make sure this was actually happening.

"Huh?" I eventually managed and Iliana burst into laughter.

"Howdy-do… You all right there?"

I blinked again. "Hmmm…. Obviously, something's gotten loose…"

"No!" I immediately argued and the queen fell back into laughter. "How are you here?"

Iliana quickly gathered herself and gave a bright smile.

"I'm here thanks to the Millennium Necklace."

I would have said 'Huh?' again except Iliana stopped me. "The clash of the Gods awakened some memories within every Millennium Item present at the moment of the blast." I pulled the Millennium Necklace out of my pocket. The center of the eye was glowing like it would if it was active. "Thanks to it, I was able to pop out and do its bidding."

"It's bidding?"

Iliana giggled before wrenching my wrist and tugging me along into the white space we were standing in. "Where are we going?"

"We're going on an adventure, now shut up!"

I huffed at the rudeness but did keep my mouth shut for a moment. There was nothing for what seemed like ages; the white just kept going and going.

"Where are Yami and Kaiba? Can we get to where they are?"

Iliana shook her head, jewels clinking in the motion.

"We can't get there; the Necklace has no control over that memory. And besides, it's so booooring! This one is far more interesting for you."

What did she mean by that? I allowed her to pull me further into the white space and watched as everything finally started to darken. As soon as it was practically pitch-black, Iliana pulled me so that we were walking side by side now. "Now watch." I did as I was told and my eyes widened at the woman who entered the room.

"Lady Mereyam?"

The priestess rushed into the room, a set of guards following on her heels. The Millennium Necklace clinked against the other pieces of jewelry she wore.

"Mereyam!" A voice barked. "This is ridiculous!"

"It is hardly ridiculous!" Mereyam snapped back.

The priestess kept rushing through the area which I know recognized as the temple from previous visions. It was far more crowded this time, petitioners were settled at the far end of the temple and priests were doing their best to attend to them. Lady Mereyam was dashing away from them, following something just out of reach. "Where… Where… Where…" I was the one to pull at Iliana this time, trying to follow after the priestess. She let me and we followed after the priestess.

Lady Mereyam stopped once she reached a large closed door. She settled her hands on it to open it but one of the priests following her barked.

"My lady, the person inside is for ritual use." He practically barked at the High Priestess. "What is the meaning of going inside?"

The Priestess turned back with the harshest look I had ever seen on her face. The priest backed up in the face of the glare.

"My intentions are none of your concern. You all will remain here."

Nobody argued with her so the Priestess was quick to push open the stone door. The room was dark except for the torches lit inside. There was nobody inside as far as I could tell and I crept in as Lady Mereyam closed the door behind her. The only sound that reached my ears over the torches crackling were soft cries. Lady Mereyam stayed near the door for a second before her head snapped over to something catching her eye. I followed her gaze to see the familiar outline of the goddess Isis. She didn't say anything but she stared at Lady Mereyam for second before stepping out of the room.

Lady Mereyam raced after the image, me right on her heels dragging Iliana behind me. The goddess was now all the way across the room, leaning down over someone sitting on the floor. Her dress was blocking my view of the person but I could tell they were small. Lady Mereyam stepped further into the room and just as she was halfway across the room, the goddess vanished and revealed the head of blonde hair. Just barely, I could hear soft cries of 'help'.

"Is this…?" I managed to breathe as Lady Mereyam ran over to the seated girl.

"Yep. She ran all the way from the palace after a vision told her that something was here." Iliana replied. "I think she even left in the middle of a meeting with the Pharaoh. Quite scandalous."

I blinked, watching as the priestess cut me loose from the ropes and help realign my shoulders from being pulled out of their sockets from how I was tied up. Little me was able to turn around to look at the priestess before everything faded back to white. I remained with Iliana so I was able to ask another question.

"Why show me this?"

Iliana gave a soft laugh, bumping her hip gently against mine. I tilted my head so that I could see the small smile on her lips.

"I'm giving Isis the credit she deserves."

I turned my head fully now. "I was cruel to her last night so the Millennium Necklace is giving me the chance to show you how much Isis has done for you already." Iliana gave me another smile. "But don't expect anything more than that." I gave a laugh. "Now, you have someone to cheer for. Best get back to it."

I opened my eyes to see that I was back in the projected amphitheater. The crowd cheered around me so I knew I was back. The only thing missing now was that Slifer's tail was gone from around my waist and ankles. I looked up to see that both of them had vanished and Yami and Kaiba were on their knees, gasping for air. Were they ok? I hoped nothing bad had happened while I was in my own vision. It took a second but they eventually climbed to their feet, glaring daggers at each other.

"I don't care about some illusion of the past!" Kaiba suddenly barked over to Yami. "My goal is to defeat you, here and now! And my future is to be King of Duelists!"

Kaiba completed his un-ended turn with a face down card. Yami began his by playing Baphomet but Kaiba interrupted by flipping up his trap card, Clone Reproduction. A clone Baphomet appeared on Kaiba's side of the field and I had an idea of what he was going to do with it; it was going to be a sacrifice for something. Since attacking would destroy both of them and leave him defenseless, Yami ended up switching his summoned monster into defense mode and playing a card face down. Kaiba's smirk was back so I crossed my arms in annoyance. What the heck was he planning?

The CEO played a card that I instantly recognized and dreaded, Cost Down. With it, he could summon an eight star monster like a six star one, with only one sacrifice. He sacrificed his clone to summon Blue Eyes and the roar it emitted shook the top of the tower. "The ancient illusion is over! This is reality! And this is your defeat!" Blue Eyes destroyed Baphomet, leaving Yami defenseless, and I could see slight panic on his face even from down here. The moment he drew his next card though, it faded away like it was never there.

"Kaiba, you saw it too…" Yami called over to the CEO. "The carving of a Duelist's battle made in Ancient Egypt 3000 years ago. Pharaoh or Priest… it doesn't matter who they were. What was carved there was their spirit as Duelists! And that spirit has been passed to us!"

Yami then played Monster Reborn to call Dark Magician from the Graveyard. It must have been the card discarded by Life Shaver during that whole clash of the Gods thing. It was the exact scene from the stone tablet now; my heart raced at the sight. Whatever happened after this was all for fate to decide. Yami ended his turn with a face down card, giving him two now.

"Looks like you saw it too, eh… But let me tell you the truth about that 'vision'. When we saw the carving of the King and the Priest, our brains stored the image and released it in the stress of battle. In other words, it's nothing but an illusion created by the power of subliminal suggestion!"

Of course Kaiba would use the subliminal message line. It was the same thing Yami had said with Pegasus with the video before Duelist Kingdom. "A King from 3000 years ago? Don't make me laugh! As far as I'm concerned, you're just a prisoner bound by the chain of the past! There is no light for those who are shackled to the past! When you turned your back to me, you trod down the path to useless nostalgia and defeat!"

Kaiba ended his monologue by beginning his turn and playing Card of Demise. He could draw five new cards but in five turns he had to discard his entire hand. I hoped the duel wouldn't have to last five whole turns, that might drive me insane. Kaiba then played Lord of Dragons, a weaker monster but one that protected Kaiba's dragons from Spell and Trap cards. By the way Yami flinched, I could tell this was not something he had planned on.

Yami started his turn by summoning Beta the magnet warrior in defense mode. He then sent Dark Magician to attack Lord of Dragons, flipping over Kaiba's trap card Magical Trap Mirror. Uh oh… I didn't hear what spell card Kaiba was using from Yami's graveyard as the tower began to shake. I fought to keep my balance before looking up to see Obelisk back again. But how did…. Oh, Monster Reborn. Because Obelisk was a god, Monster Reborn's effect would only last a turn but it was enough to blast Yami's attack right at him, lowering his life points to 1500. It had to have hurt as his gasp of pain hit my ears like he was right next to me. "You see, Yugi. Your weakness comes rom being stuck in your stupid illusions." Yami didn't retort only playing a card face down and ending his turn.

Kaiba immediately took control again as he played Flute of Summoning Dragon, allowing him to summon his other two Blue Eyes. With 9000 attack points combined, Yami would be destroyed in a second. "Brace yourself, Yugi! And carve my name into your memories! The name of the true winner!" I had to fight with myself not to cover my eyes, I had to watch. All of Kaiba's dragons went to attack but Kaiba faltered when a new roar appeared. Jounouchi's Red Eyes was suddenly on Yami's side of the field. How did that happen?

"No dragon can resist the flute of Summoning Dragon but the sound of the flue didn't just affect your own dragons. It affected the dragons in my hand too!"

I wasn't sure that was how it technically worked but was I complaining? Nope!

"Then my Blue Eyes will destroy you! Along with Jounouchi's spirit!"

The Blue Eyes geared up to attack again, their blasts headed for Dark Magician first. Magic Cylinder then appeared, taking one of the blasts and hurtling it right back. Since the dragons were immune to Trap cards, Yami was smart enough to have Lord of Dragons destroyed so it could free up new avenues. The remaining two dragons continued to attack, one blasts headed for Red Eyes, but Yami had a plan. Another face down card flipped to reveal Spell Binding Circle, stopping one of the Blue Eye's attack and lowering its attack power by 700 points. It was just enough for Red Eyes to defeat it.

The moment the Blue Eyes was completely gone, there was a twinge in my stomach. My face flickered to show the discomfort but I kept myself standing still. What the heck was that? I couldn't focus on it long as I worked my eyes back to the duel.

Kaiba ended his turn with two cards face down. Yami responded in kind and I immediately felt anxious. Please don't let this end up like that whole Pandora thing again…. That was not good for my stress levels. Yami also moved Red Eyes into defense mode but that only sent Kaiba's smirk growing again. He flipped over one of his trap cards to reveal Final Attack Orders. Yami couldn't place anything in defense mode now and he had to move his entire deck to the graveyard except for three cards. My hands clenched together in anxiousness. Without anything else to do, Yami ended his turn.

Like Kaiba needed to be dramatic, he played Monster Reborn to call back his destroyed Blue Eyes then flipped over his Polymerization. The Ultimate Dragon was larger than I remembered it being, though I was high above it in a tower last time I saw it. With 4500 attack points, it could defeat Obelisk with one blast. "Yugi… I'm about to defeat you and when I do, I'll achieve something great. It's not something as simple as 'revenge'… Why have I been fixated for so long on defeating you? I fought through Battle City to find out and I finally found the answer! Yugi, you've fought to pursue the memories carved on the palette… a foolish act, chasing a past that has already gone by… But I'm not like that! To me, the memory of the past means as much to me as a crumbling piece of rock. My past is nothing but hatred and anger! It's not like your stupid fantasy world! I only care about the future. I trample on the past! It means nothing!" Kaiba's smirk became a near snarl. "Yugi! You are a creature of the past! I will destroy you and the past along with you! I will shine light down the bright corridors of my future! I will become the King of the Duelists!"

I couldn't help but take a glance at Mokuba then. The expression on the younger Kaiba's face held no pride for his brother's words. He looked almost scared. If Yami was clinging to the past, then I figured Mokuba was clinging to something as well, something Kaiba was too arrogant to see. I immediately felt pity for both of them.

Yami's sudden chuckle made me look away from Mokuba. His face had softened into a smile for a moment before smirking. "I'm surprised even you can laugh now…"

"Kaiba… you are one of the very few I recognize as a Duelist, but I'm a bit disappointed in you!"

"What?"

"To put it bluntly… Hatred… Anger… No matter how much you have, those things aren't enough to beat me! Your mind is like this Duel Tower, standing tall in the rubble. You can pile hate on top of hate to reach the top, but you'll never find true victory. You'll only wander forever… seeking the next thing to hate, the next target!"

To show this, Yami flipped over one of his face down cards to reveal Double Spell, allowing him to use both of the spell cards Kaiba had played that turn. He used Monster Reborn to bring back Buster Blader then Polymerization to combine him and Dark Magician together to form Dark Paladin. While it had 2900 points initially, it's effect like Buster Blader's would help boost it a bit. Dark Paladin couldn't attack so there wasn't much else he could do. Yami quickly took his turn, only drawing a card before ending it.

Kaiba drew one of his remaining cards, set one face down, then looked back up.

"Get ready, YugiI! will bury you here along with the detestable past! Make your peace with yourself!"

"Even if you can defeat me, Kaiba, you can only find an endless chain of hatred! I've tried to tell you again and again… but until you listen, you will never escape from the darkness!"

"Hmph! Hatred and Anger give me power! They always have! The power to dominate everything!"

"Then hit me with all your hatred! If you think you can defeat me with that!"

There was a moment of silence from Kaiba at the retort. I used it to scoff in my head that this whole conversation was sounding a little too much like Kingdom Hearts. The CEO then called for his attack, the Ultimate Dragon's attack heading straight for Dark Paladin. In retaliation, Yami flipped over Magic Formula to increase his attack power but Kaiba had been prepared for that. The CEO flipped over Absorb Spell, transferring the attack gain to the Ultimate Dragon instead.

The attack almost hit but Yami had one more face down card and I hollered with excitement when I saw it: De-Fusion. He was able to split Kaiba's dragon apart and the extra monsters gave Dark Paladin a big boost. Yami then played Diffusion Wave Motion. By sacrificing 1000 life points, Dark Paladin could attack every monster on Kaiba's side of the field. The bright white waves burst from Dark Paladin's staff, colliding with Kaiba's dragons and splitting them apart at each touch. I heard Kaiba cry out at the attack and knew his life points had hit zero. The amphitheater vanished and we had all returned to the top of the tower.

"We have a winner!" I heard Roland call out over the smoke. "Yugi Motou!"

I didn't cheer in victory; my throat couldn't move. He actually did it! My silence gave way for my ears to hear Kaiba's choked response.

"My… Ultimate deck…" He choked out as the platform began to lower. "My ultimate servant…"

"Kaiba…" Yami called over to him. "It's true… I won and you lost. But we have no difference in skill. I recognize your skills as a duelist. But let me tell you this: What you lost to was the monster called hatred that dwells inside you. The monsters drawn on the cards aren't the only demons in a duel. The anger in our hearts… sadness… jealousy… greed… our worst enemies are inside us! Only when you defeat all of that can you walk the road to becoming a true duelist!"

Ok… This really was becoming Kingdom Hearts… "I would've lost if I didn't have the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. My friend lent me this card. This card in the shape of his soul. I won through the power of friendship."

"The power of what?!"

Kaiba's snap scared me as I climbed onto the platform so I could walk over to Yami as soon as he was done. "You're a fool! I don't want to win if it means depending on others! I don't need friends! I don't need anyone but myself!"

'But what about Mokuba?' I couldn't help but think. 'He has been beside you this entire time and now you look down on him?'

Kaiba gave a loud huff. "Boasting is the privilege of winners… I'll keep quiet and step down… for now." It seemed to take a lot of effort but Kaiba snapped a card out of his duel disk and flicked it over to Yami. "The ante rule means this card is yours!" Yami caught it casually, looking at it before glancing back up to Kaiba.

"I accept your ante, Kaiba!"

Kaiba had been walking over to Mokuba, who dashed to his brother's side. The CEO didn't seem all that thrilled that Yami accepted what he had won.

"Now that you've beaten me, Yugi, I won't allow you to lose in the finals!"

He snapped his head back towards Mokuba. "Let's go, Mokuba." The Kaiba brothers walked away from the platform, giving me a chance to step over to my boyfriend. I wrapped my arms around his waist, allowing a slightly displeased expression to cover my face.

"Well that was cheery." I huffed. "It was a good duel. Can't he acknowledge that?"

"He will one day." Yami replied, allowing his free arm to grip my waist in return.

Yami then fell silent. I tilted my head to see the thoughtful expression crossing his face. "That vision…"

"What about it?"

"He said… He said the 'Queen' was dead."

I flinched slightly. That was something new… "What did he mean by that?" I gave a sigh.

"The details are hazy but… something happened and she – I – vanished into history and myth. No one knows what truly happened."

Yami's grip tightened around my waist. I suddenly remembered his question from last night. There was some pervasive fear he had that I was going to leave him, vanish like the rest of his memories.

That wasn't going to happen. Not while I drew breath.

I pulled away from Yami's grip to face him head on. He blinked at me but I didn't back down. "There is no way I am leaving you. Not now. Not ever. Got that?" Yami blinked again, thinking over what I said. I let myself smile when he finally nodded. "Good."

"Oh just kiss already, you love birds!" A familiar voice cried out, making both Yami and I blush brightly.

"What?!"

I snapped my head towards the voice, fully intending to freeze them to the spot, but stopped short. The cry had come from Jounouchi, a wide smirk on his face for making both of us jump out of our little mood. "Jounouchi…" Jounouchi beamed.

"I knew you could beat his butt, Yugi!"

I remained stock still, staring at my friend who had been dead when I left the blimp but was standing here right now. Yami must have gotten over his shock faster than I did as he walked over to greet his friend.

"What took you so long?" Yami laughed, like Jounouchi had simply been late for a meal.

"Sorry, dude!"

I still didn't move. I remained watching as Jounouchi explained that they had gotten there earlier but he wouldn't let the others distract the duel. While Jounouchi was boasting about Red Eyes helping Yami till the end, Shizuka stepped over to me.

"We have no idea what happened." She simply said. "Just woke up out of the blue!"

Red Eyes… Yami simply using the card helped pull him back from the brink. I gave a sigh before looking to Shizuka.

"I can beat him up later, right?" I asked softly. "Simply as pay back for all the tears?"

Shizuka nodded and I smiled. This was going to be fun…

"The last match is the finals, isn't it?" Anzu suddenly asked.

"It is." Yami agreed.

We all looked over to see Yami Marik hanging out at the edge of the platform, a wild smile on his face.

"So it's you, Yugi…" He breathed loudly. "So the carnival of darkness finally begins!"

Yami Marik gave a wild cackle and I took the opportunity to step back over to Yami. "Well, well… you're still alive, Jounouchi? You're made of strong stuff…" Jounouchi gave a soft growl but he held back his rage.

"Listen, Yugi." Jounouchi breathed down to Yami. "You already know this but… Marik's split personality is bad news! He's a freak who likes torturing his opponents! Watch out for him! He'll do anything to hurt you! Just like he did to Mai…"

Jounouchi gave a louder growl then. "If only I was stronger! I might have saved her! So please, Yugi! Beat Marik and save Mai!"

Yami nodded his head then turned to Marik and proceeded to meet his destiny.

 **Bakura: So you finally decide to show your face!**

 **Shut up! I've been busy! Studying abroad in Rome is not exactly prime time to be writing!**

 **Bakura: Excuses excuses.**

 **I'm going to sit with Yami, he's actually excited about me being here.**

 **Bakura: Hey! I-... whoops...**

 **Marik: Nice going.**


	15. A Light in the Darkness

**Hi... I know it's been a while. I could make a lot of excuses but... This chapter just kicked my butt. It's long and it's frustrating, especially since it's the last one of this part of the saga. I'm glad to have it done though! Now I can work on the next one! Two more!**

 ***I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I only own my OC, Christine. If you see anything you recognize, I don't own that either.***

I was just getting settled for the duel when Kaiba's voice made me jump nearly out of my skin.

"Yugi!" Kaiba's voice snapped from the entrance of the tower. "Take this card!"

Yami scrambled to catch it, looking over the image, before looking back to Kaiba. "Well, Yugi? It's up to you whether or not to include that card in your deck. After all, why would I give you a card? It might even be life-threatening… A Trap to teach you not to be so trusting of others."

My eyebrows flattened above my eyes at the attempt at a dark chuckle. Wow… What the heck, Kaiba? My eyes flicked back to Yami as he gave a chuckle in reply. He had just slid the card into his deck, lifting his head back to look at his rival.

"Kaiba, I'll believe in you, and I will defeat Marik!" Yami barked in reply.

Kaiba didn't reply and I could see his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Huh?!" Honda gasped. "K-Kaiba gave Yugi a card…"

"I don't like the long of that…" Jounouchi breathed as well. "Be careful, Yugi!"

My eyes moved to see Ishizu standing next to Kaiba, he was actually talking to her. The CEO had walked off in a pretty big huff; did she does something to ensure he came back? She didn't look over at me in reply, keeping her own eyes flicking between Kaiba and Marik up above us.

"And now…" Roland began to call. "The Battle City Finals!"

Marik looked like he was talking to Yami but Jounouchi's voice cut it out, no matter how piercing the Tomb Keeper's voice was.

"Yugi has two God Cards: Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk, but he's still at a disadvantage. It takes three sacrifices to summon one god. But Marik's Ra can use Monster Reborn and Quick Attack in just one turn!"

He was obviously muttering to himself but I couldn't help but keep listening. "When I was fighting Marik, he used that power to kill all of my monsters at once! Plus… They say Ra's got another hidden ability! One we haven't seen yet!" Jounouchi then got suspiciously quiet. I saw his eyes flick over to Kaiba with an annoyed expression. There was no way to read his mind so I looked back to the duel just in time to see Marik and Yami walking back over to their spots to start the duel.

"Yugi Motou vs Marik Ishtar!"

"I go first…" Yami Marik's piercing voice finally hit my ears. "But before that… Look around you…"

The sky began to turn an inky black color. Jounouchi flinched from next to me, breathing that it was the same as last time. Did Marik do the same thing during their duel? "Yugi… Our battle will be the greatest Shadow Game of all… Darkness will cover the Earth… And the Gates of Hell will open…"

Yami Marik then took his turn, playing Vampiric Leech and quickly attacking Yami. I flinched at his grunt of pain. Something seemed odd to me though. Even though I couldn't see the Shadow Game, I could see the faintest bit of Yami's discomfort; something in his head was enough to make him physically uncomfortable. Jounouchi also seemed to notice the tense nature of the duel so that relieved me slightly. I clenched my hands together in nervousness; I hope this won't be too bad.

Yami Marik's turn wasn't over after his attack. Vampiric Leech had a special ability that allowed him to discard a card and put it into defense mode after it attacked. My hands felt cold at the soft smile that crossed the crazed Tomb Keeper's face when he placed the card in the graveyard. I hated jinxing myself but what were the chances that that card was Ra?

Yami's face was a complete poker face as he began his turn, playing Queen's Knight and attacking the Vampiric Leech. Yami Marik was obviously not concerned at the loss. The spirit ended his turn with two face down cards and the moment Yami Marik drew his card to start his turn, the poker face dropped into a grimace. "I drew a nice card…" Oh god. Yami Marik didn't play his nice card yet, choosing to play Juragedo and destroying Queen's Knight. Yami seemed far more concerned about something else rather than his lowered life points but… It was like I couldn't see it. Once the smoke of Queen's Knight vanished, Yami Marik played the card he drew: Left Arm Offering. At the cost of his entire hand, Yami Marik could pull a single spell card out of his deck and make it his new hand.

No…

"I activate my face down card!" Yami barked before I could prepare myself. "Exchange!"

The entire group cheered at this. With Monster Reborn out of Yami Marik's hands, Yami was safe for the moment from Ra. Note: for the moment he was safe. My eyes flicked over to Yami Marik's face down card. The Tomb Keeper was still smiling even as he ended his turn. Could he have been expecting this? I flicked my eyes back to Yami to see he had summoned King's Knight and, using Yami Marik's Monster Reborn, returned Queen's Knight back to the field. With both there, Jack's Knight could be summoned. Now began the clock on who could summon a God Card first.

"Yes!" Honda cheered. "Now Yugi's ready to summon on of his gods! And Yami Marik doesn't have Monster Reborn! That totally screws up his strategy!"

"You said it!" Jounouchi cheered in agreement. "Yugi's taken the lead!"

"But remember…" Anzu seemed to be the only one on the same page as me. "Marik still has some face down cards. It might not be that easy…"

Since Anzu said my thoughts, I kept my eyes on the duel. Yami Marik still seemed too happy despite being stared down by three monsters that could probably take him to the pits.

"What's the matter, Yugi?" Yami Marik taunted. "Go ahead! Attack me!"

Unaffected, Yami simply ended his turn. Yami Marik was still smiling, probably taunting him in his head about how his fear saved him this turn.

Yami Marik started his turn and started talking the moment he drew his card. "I know you don't have a God Card in your hand right now. It's pathetic watching you wait for one on every draw phase of every turn… And… if the card you draw Slifer the Sky Dragon… then it won't even help you; you have so few cards in your hand that its attack points will be minimal. So! I'll give you a gift! I'll play a card that helps us both!" He played Card of Sanctity, allowing both players to draw until they had six cards in their hands. It completely replenished Yami Marik's hand so Yami would need to be prepared for anything now. He ended his turn with a face down card and a monster in defense position.

Yami didn't wait long after his turn began to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon. The God Card spilled out of the dark clouds, growling loudly at Yami Marik across the field. I immediately noticed the lack of a tail wrapped around my ankles. I stared at the large dragon but it didn't acknowledge me. Not wanting to press it, I stepped next to Jounouchi for some peace of mind. Slifer quickly attacked but Yami Marik's shriek took all the happiness. "The time is right! I'll show you Ra's power!"

He flipped over one of his face down cards to reveal Revival of the Dark. It allowed him to take a card from Yami's Graveyard and use it as his own and the card he chose was… Oh god… Ra was in the Graveyard, wasn't he?

There was a blast of heat and I shrieked in fright, jumping behind Jounouchi to block it. I could hear the crackles of flame and I hesitantly peeked to see what the third God Card looked like. Ra's Phoenix mode was exactly how I remembered it: a large bird like shape made entirely of flames. I hated it but I almost cowered behind Jounouchi as if that would stop the flames from reaching me. Ra was my least favorite of the three but it was powerful in its own right. But these dumb effects! Slifer's attack was completely absorbed by the large golden flames, leaving me growling at how bullshit it was.

"Ra's special power…" Jounouchi breathed. "The 'Egyptian God Phoenix'… Marik has to pay 1000 life points but he burns up all the monsters on the field; no matter how many attack points they've got. Does that mean Slifer is dead too?"

"No!" Honda argued but his face dropped immediately. "I mean I don't know… I don't know how strong that thing is…"

"What I'm really worried about is if Ra sends Yugi into shock like it did me."

I highly doubted that would be the case but the pang of fear shot through me again, this time for Yami. I peeked again over Jounouchi's shoulder to see Yami still as determined as ever and that made me feel a little better.

"You think you're safe but Slifer isn't through attacking yet!" Yami cried over the crackling fire that was Ra. "The moment you summoned Ra, I activated Slifer's special ability."

Slifer's second mouth opened and the lightning blast shot towards Ra but a flash flickered over the flames and I could hear Yami Marik chuckle.

"Did you think your measly lightning bolt could penetrate this armor of fire?" Yami Marik asked almost teasingly. "Now, it's my turn to attack… You and your dragon will burn together this turn."

Ra flew towards Slifer and I understood why he hadn't moved towards me. The God knew that this would have happened, knew my fear, and didn't want to put me in that situation. Even so, seeing the God burst into flames was even more terrifying. I flinched behind Jounouchi even further so I couldn't see my favorite God Card fade away. "That's enough, Ra! Return to the Graveyard!" That was when I looked up again. The field was charred from the powerful flames and Yami was just then removing his arms from protecting his face. He at least was ok. "And now… after your turn is over, according to the text of the Trap Card Revival of the Dark, Monster Reborn will once again go back to your Graveyard. But that's when I do this!" Yami Marik flipped over his other face down card to reveal Zombie's Jewel, letting him take Yami's Monster Reborn yet again but have it in his hand. Could he just summon Ra again and again?! "It's not quite over; the fine print on Zombie's Jewel allows you to draw a card on this turn. Let's see how long one new card can keep you alive…"

I watched as Yami looked to his deck for a second before looking back to Yami Marik when he began to speak again. "Let me show you something interesting. Haven't you noticed that one of your friends is missing? Does this look familiar?" Yami Marik pulled a large piece of jewelry out from underneath his shirt and I recognized it immediately. It was the Millennium Ring! If Yami Marik had the possessed piece of jewelry, where was Bakura?!

"So it's Marik's fault that Bakura's missing?!" Honda barked up at him. "What'd you do to him, you creep?!"

"The Millennium Ring is my spoils of war. As for your friend, by now, he's probably been completely consumed by the darkness… keh keh keh…"

Yami's eyes went back to his deck before they shut and he drew a card. He didn't even open them before putting it in one of the face down slots of his duel disk and ended his turn. How could he have possibly known what card he drew? The gang was obviously confused and from my quick flip towards Kaiba, the CEO looked almost traumatized at what happened.

"Yugi Motou!" Roland barked up at Yami. "Reversing a card without confirming it is an illegal act! According to the rules, if that card is a Monster Card—"

"Roland!" Kaiba barked.

The Kaiba Corp employee visibly froze and looked to Kaiba expectantly. "I say it's interesting! Let the duel go on!"

With no argument, Yami Marik began his turn immediately playing Monster Reborn and summoning Ra back to the field. It wasn't in Phoenix Mode so the God Card was only an armored giant bird but still slightly terrifying. What happened next scared me even more. I could hear the slight mumblings of Yami Marik chanting something – the language in which he was chanting escaped me – and my eyes widened when his body stared to fade into smoke.

"Do you want to know Ra's final power?" Yami Marik teasingly taunted. "I'll show you…"

That was when he faded all together but the laughter never faded. It only moved so that he was now appearing out of Ra's head. What?! There was no outburst from Kaiba as expected but I still peeked over at him. His eyes were wide and teeth clenched together. He knew this was going to happen. I looked back to Ra and started thinking it through with what I remembered. Yami Marik technically only had one life point left, giving the rest to Ra, so that gave the God Card 2999 attack points. It wasn't enough to… "By sacrificing the monsters on my field, I absorb their attack points!" I should have kept my mental mouth shut… With Juragedo's attack points added, Ra had 4699. Enough to take out Yami with one blast. He did go to attack but Yami's face down card, the one he played without looking at it, flipped up.

"Devil's Sanctuary!"

I heard the flinch from Kaiba and knew that it was the extra card he had given him at the beginning of all this. I kept my eyes on the duel though, seeing some sort of glow and a plum of dark smoke creating something. When the smoke cleared, all that was left was a small metal token. I peeked around Jounouchi's head to see that Yami Marik's eye, the one that remained on the field as the 'duelist' was reflected on the face. "When Metal Devil in activated, it becomes a substitute for the opposing player! Your life points become its attack points. Though it costs me 1000 life points per turn to maintain… In other words, the metal devil is you! It becomes another version of yourself, and when you attack it, you'll take the damage yourself!" Which means he'd lose!

Ra's attack burst forth and I flinched again behind Jounouchi's back. When the attack faded, I looked up again, confused that there was no cheering of Yami's victory. Ra was still on the field and Yami Marik was on the ground again. What? I checked the small meter that showed his life points and my eyes narrowed. How are his life points at 4700?! I need to stop looking away!

"The moment Ra attacked Metal Devil, I activated a spell card."

Yami Marik's smile grew wide. "The special power of Polymerization with God can only be deactivated by one card… and, luckily, that was the card that you gave to me when you played exchange… Kya ha ha! De-Fusion!" I gave a growl into Jounouchi's shoulder. This was such a pain. "And now, Ra! Return to the graveyard! I'll place Monster Reborn in the graveyard as well… In addition, I play a face down card."

"Shit!" Jounouchi cursed, making my eyes flit to his profile. "If Marik uses Monster Reborn on his next turn, Ra will be summoned again. Then it's all gonna happen all over again!"

Thanks for the public service announcement, Jounouchi. Like I needed it. My eyes returned to Yami, seeing him take deep breaths, obviously through annoyance, as he started his turn. He paid 1000 life points to keep his token and Yami Marik was quick to berate him for the act; what was the use if it couldn't attack or defend. Yami didn't take any taunt, drawing a card.

"I activate my face down card: Multiply!"

The Metal token then split into three and a bright smile took over my face. Ooooh… I liked where this was going… "I sacrifice the three Metal Devils to summon Obelisk the Tormentor!" While I may have still been terrified of the God, I was quite happy seeing him on our side. With one mighty punch, Obelisk knocked Yami Marik to the ground, leaving him with 700 life points. I would have cheered but Yami's pained face stopped me. He didn't look happy dealing that much damage… He was looking at something next to Yami Marik, not at him. I tried to turn my head and see it but all I saw was inky darkness. Yami Marik on the other hand looked entirely pleased with the development. I clenched onto Jounouchi's shirt even tighter then. How much longer would this take?

"You've activated my trap card!" Yami Marik almost cheered the memeable line.

"Wait a minute!" Jounouchi barked up at arena. "I thought traps don't work against God Cards!"

"Indeed. A God's attack won't trigger a trap. But **this** trap is triggered when I lose life points! Now take a good look at: Metal Reflect Slime!"

The face down card flipped up and a large silvery slime oozed out of it. Eeeeww… "Using it's reflect ability, the slime token becomes a duplicate of the enemy monster! A living wall with defense equal to three-fourths of your attack!" The slime oozed further, growing larger and larger until it was a silvery copy of Obelisk itself. It didn't have the same imposing nature that the true God had but it was still freaky.

"Whoa!" Honda gasped. "There's two Obelisks!"

"Hmph!" Jounouchi huffed in reply. "Yeah, but one's just a fake slime version! And if it only has 3000 defense points, Obelisk can defeat it with one blow!"

It didn't seem that simple. It was Yami Marik so of course there it was going to be far more difficult than it seemed. Yami played a card face down and ended his turn. Yami Marik began his turn by playing Revival Jam, the annoying little ghost looking slime that the doll had played yesterday.

"Great…" I huffed. "That again…"

"You ok back there?" Jounouchi actually looked away from the duel to peek at me, still hiding behind him and in his jacket.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Just annoyed."

Jounouchi didn't agree or argue with me. He only reached up to pat my head before looking back to the duel. I thought about glaring at him but decided against it. You win this round, Jounouchi.

Yami Marik also played a face down card before ending his turn. Yami played Big Shield Gardna in defense mode before calling for Obelisk to attack the slimy version of itself. Yami Marik's face down card flipping up spooked me but when it exploded into large pools of the stuff, I flinched back. Yami Marik laughed as the attempt.

"I fused God Slime with Revival Jam with Polymerization!" Yami Marik cackled. "A wall you can't break! Immortal God Slime!"

Now that slimy abomination could do the same thing as Revival Jam? Great. Yami ended his turn, seeing that nothing else could be done; much to Yami Marik's glee. Yami Marik played a card face down and Bowganian in defense mode. That was bad; as long as it was on the field, Yami took 300 points of damage every turn! He had to get rid of it and fast! And boy did he try… After playing a face down card of his own, Yami sacrificed Big Shield Gardna to summon Dark Magician Girl. Her bright face was a relief in all this darkness. She immediately went to attack Bowganian but was deterred by God Slime sticking his arm in the way. Not again! Sure enough, on Yami Marik's side of the field was Jam Defender. I was getting real sick of slime monsters. Dark Magician Girl's attack blew his arm to pools but it quickly reformed again. What was extra annoying is Yami lost life points as God Slime had 1000 defense points more than Dark Magician Girl. "And now, before your turn ends, Bowganian uses its power!" The tiny eyeball monster shot its crossbow right at Yami and I flinched my head into Jounouchi's shoulder just before impact. My eyes were shut but I still flinched at the grunt of pain. I tightened my grip on Jounouchi's shirt so much, my knuckles were probably white.

"Arrgh!" Jounouchi growled through frustration, not pain from my grip. "Can't he do anything against that stupid slime?! Yugi! Pull yourself together!"

A shiver then slid slowly down my spine, like a cold bead of sweat. I hated it immediately but what I hated more was hearing Marik's voice appear out of Anzu's mouth again.

 ** _"Yugi!"_** He cried up to the Duelists. **_"Don't hold yourself back… I am prepared to die!"_**

Jounouchi jumped back, reaching his arm around so that I was securely behind him. **_"Crush the evil heart that I bred inside me!"_**

"What are you talking about?!"

All eyes moved to Anzu's body, her blue eyes grayed over like they had been at the pier yesterday. Marik, the real Marik, was somehow still in control of her body. **_"Yugi… I swore to get revenge on you for killin my father… that was why I formed the Ghouls… But I didn't know the truth…"_** Anzu's hand suddenly lifted to point at Yami Marik. **_"It was my other self who killed my father… That's right, it was you!"_** Yami Marik lifted a finger to his ear, cleaning it slightly like he couldn't hear clearly.

"Who, me?" He asked innocently. "Well, Mister 'Main Personality', you should have realized that before your body became mind… But now all you can do is take your guilt to the grave…"

Jounouchi took a hesitant step towards Anzu and waved his free hand over her face.

"Anzu!" He barked. "Listen to me!"

I finally released my grip on Jounouchi when I noticed Ishizu running towards us. Her eyes were glued to Anzu's body but the name of her brother came out of her mouth.

"Marik!" She gasped, reaching out to touch Anzu's arm.

 ** _"Ishizu…"_** Marik's voice was so soft now. **_"I'm sorry…"_**

"Marik, it is you…"

 ** _"But… why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me the truth? That it was I who killed father…"_**

My immediate thought was that she wanted to protect him. Anyone would be traumatized with murdering their own parent, especially if they didn't remember it. **_"Ishizu… You knew, didn't you? You knew that it was my fate… No, our family's fate… for me to fight the Pharaoh in Battle City… The Millennium Necklace told you, didn't it…?"_** Ishizu looked horrified at the question.

"No! Even if you were obsessed with revenge… you had to keep living! That was the only fate I wanted for you!"

 ** _"But… my sister… I am not strong enough to keep him at bay forever… I won't let it happen again… I will put an end to my entire existence…"_**

"No, Marik!"

Ishizu grabbed firmly to Anzu's arm but that didn't stop Marik from calling up to Yami again.

 ** _"Yugi! I know you can stop my Dark Side! That is your final test as Pharaoh!"_**

Yami stared down at us for a long moment but Yami Marik's voice cooed suddenly.

"Give it up, you fool!" He laughed. "Your wishes are hopeless! Now just die! There is now way for Yugi to beat me!"

The simple act of Yami turning his head back to Yami Marik sent shivers down my spine. Holy cow… "Let's continue the duel!" Yami Marik lifted a card from his deck and his smile widened. "I play a spell card: Magical Stone Excavation!" Oh boy… Now he can get Monster Reborn back! I held my ground for the moment, watching as Yami Marik lifted the card from his graveyard and smiled again. He then played a card face down – an act I was quickly getting annoyed of – and played Grandora, a monster whose effect gave him 1000 more life points. If Ra came out now, even 1699 attack points would be enough to win. Thankfully, he didn't.

"C'mon, Yugi!" Honda cried up at our friend.

"If he doesn't do something on this turn, Marik will summon Ra…" Jounouchi growled. "But something's wrong. It's like Yugi's pulling his punches… What's the matter with him? Doesn't he wanna win?!"

 ** _"You can't see it, can you?"_** Marik's voice was even softer than before. **_"They're not fighting an ordinary duel…"_**

Everyone close enough to Anzu's body turned again. I kept my eyes on her face. Was I right that something else was there? **_"This duel… is the ultimate Shadow Game…"_**

"Did you say Shadow Game?" Jounouchi asked, the horror dripping from his words.

 ** _"Both of them fight with Human Sacrifices… I am one… And Yugi's other self is the other…"_**

"What?! The Other Yugi is a sacrifice?!"

 ** _"When one of the player's life points reaches zero, the sacrifice will fall into the darkness…"_**

My knees nearly caved out from underneath me. Luckily, Honda was close enough to catch me. No… No… Not again… Not again… My temper rose up from my gut but I forced it back. I would not lose my temper. I would not allow my base instincts to dictate this. I allowed Honda to settle me on my feet but made myself stand on my own. I could do that much. With my fists clenched in my shorts, I looked back up to the duel, happily seeing Yami's face with new hope on it.

He used his turn to play a face down card and played Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode. Bowganian shot at him again and I forced my grip even tighter but didn't look away.

On Yami Marik's next turn, he played Monster Reborn, allowing Ra to return to the field once more. In his Phoenix Mode, Ra's body flickered across the field. The heat crackled along my skin and I nearly jumped to hide behind Jounouchi again. But I didn't. I forced my feet to stay in place. I wouldn't allow this the frighten me anymore. Ra immediately went to attack Obelisk at Yami Marik's command but his laughter was cut short when a different god was caught in the attack instead of Obelisk.

Slifer! The large red dragon had coiled itself around Obelisk to take the brunt of the attack. Its loud roar echoed in my ears as it exploded from the attack.

"The moment you attacked, I used my face down card!" Yami explained when Yami Marik looked utterly confused. "A card you know: Monster Reborn!"

The gang cheered while I silently saluted Slifer. Being blown up by Ra was definitely a blow to one's ego but Slifer didn't seem to complain; though I doubt he could. With the attack finished, Ra returned to the graveyard but Yami Marik's smile remained.

"So what, Yugi?" Yami Marik taunted. "This card will kill you for sure… I play the spell card: Surprise Attack from the Darkness!"

What did that do again? "With this spell card, I get an entire second battle phase!" Oh. That. I hate this card. Jounouchi summed up my hatred best.

"Another battle phase?!" The blond barked. "That's not fair! I bet that card's not Tournament legal!"

I surely wished that Roland would call him out on it but there was no sound from the officiator. No dice… Damn…

Ra appeared again – first in the simple sphere form then in fully armored bird – after a moment and with more smoke, I watched as Yami Marik began to fuse with the God Card. He only had 699 attack points from the merger but with the other monsters on the field, that number could rise quickly.

"If I sacrifice all the monsters on my field, Ra's attack points will rise to 6899! Far beyond Obelisk's 4000. I can blast you to oblivion with one shot!"

"We'll see about that!" Yami shot back, a smile on his face.

Yami then flipped up his own face down card. Soul Taker allowed him to sacrifice one of Yami Marik's monsters at the expense of giving him 1000 life points but which one would he pick? Would he sacrifice Ra with the evil side still attached? That seemed like an interesting idea to try… My thoughts were stopped when Ra was sucked up into a tunnel of dark smoke for a long second then appeared again out of the darkness. Yami Marik's laughter echoed louder than anything.

"Did you think a sacrifice effect would work against a God?! You fool! Soul Taker could never have affected me!"

Yami's smirk returned and my eyebrow raised. What was he laughing at? Marik asked that as well.

"Who said I was going to sacrifice Ra?"

My eyes then snapped to God Slime, who flinched noisily and began to separate. "That's right… your so called 'God Slime' is merely a fusion of Revival Jam and Metal Reflect Slime! With one card, I lay claim to both your creatures!" The two monsters separated noisily and moved over to Yami's side of the field. "It was my Soul Taker that cause Ra to disappear into the void… it was the visual effect of your own Surprise Attack from the Darkness!"

"What do you mean to accomplish by sacrificing my slime?!"

"I'll tell you! It's to activate Obelisk's greatest ability!"

I knew this ability very well. Meg hated me for using it on her to hilarious effects whenever we played and I used my God deck. While it may have been different here, the desired effect was still the same. Small cracks of lightning flickered across Obelisk's body as the sacrifices of the two monsters powered it up. Obelisk went to attack but, to my surprise, Yami Marik suddenly sacrificed his two monsters to power up Ra. The total was now 4899 but I didn't see how it mattered: Obelisk had infinite attack power.

It mattered when the attack seemed to bounce right off the giant armored bird.

"Even the Gods know their betters! One of the Three Egyptian God Cards, Ra is highest in rank. Obelisk's powers are useless against me!"

Just wait till it actually hits card game status, I thought petulantly, then Ra is actually the weakest of them all. I kept my annoyance to myself as actually saying it aloud might confuse the people around me. "And now! Surprise Attack from the Darkness! This is the end, Yugi! Now die, you dried up mummy! You pathetic ghost!" Yami's face down card flipped up when Ra's attack left his mouth. Dimension Magic let him sacrifice two of his monsters… He only had two monsters… He was getting around Ra's attack! Marik, after being almost appalled, then began to laugh again. "But what now, Yugi? Now your last God Card is dead!"

"I have my friends! No just friends… Trusted comrades who I've carried in my deck through all my duels!"

The large coffin that was on the image of Dimension Magic then appeared. But before it opened, Dark Magician Girl appeared and made a funny face over at Yami Marik. The antic actually made me smile. The coffin then opened to reveal the Dark Magician. "Marik, the tables have turned! When the Master and Disciple Magicians join arms, they can destroy any one monster! And their target is the fused form of you and your God!"

"Don't forget, Yugi! If you destroy Ra, you leave me with only one Life Point! When that happens, my other personality will die!"

Yami seemed concerned at that. "Try it, if you're prepared to kill him! If you injure him that much, his ego will be permanently broken… and I will take control of him forever!" Yami Marik looked extremely pleased at the conflicted look on Yami's face. It faded slightly when a new voice, one that I hadn't heard since the previous night, echoed across the field.

"Master Marik!" The voice of Marik's shadow, Odion, cried out.

Everyone turned to see him carrying himself heavily out of the elevator to where everyone could see him.

"Keh… So, you were still alive? You're as tough as a scarab beetle. But you're too late! I'm too strong for you to push me into Marik's subconscious anymore!"

I dashed over to help the man when he looked close to falling over. He accepted my help but quickly looked back up to the duel and receiving even more smack from Yami Marik. "My other self's psyche is in a fragile state… He doesn't even have the strength to speak, not even to live!" Odion adjusted so that he could straighten slightly.

"Master Marik… The cruel fate of the Tomb Guardians is what brought this tragedy upon us; hatred and resentment created the evil heart within you…"

Yami Marik's face shifted into a scowl, his one eye glared down at Odion.

"Shut up…"

"Master Marik… you are about to throw yourself into the darkness of despair…"

Odion straightened even further, pulling away from me to step closer to the platform. "But you must keep living, even if your path leads into darkness! That is not just the fate of the Tomb Guardians, it is the fate of every human being!"

"I said **_SHUT UP_**! **_GWAAAAH!_** "

I snapped my head up to Yami Marik again. His hand was suddenly up to his blank eye, fingers clutching his skin and hair. He gasped sounds of pain that hit my ears even all the way on the ground.

"Master Marik… it is not through death that people go into the light; there is light only in life!"

There was another moment of gasping and screaming before Marik's real voice appeared from the body atop Ra.

"Yugi!" Marik shouted to Yami. "Strike me!"

That gave Yami the courage to attack and the two magicians attacked. There was the sound of screaming that echoed for what seemed like forever when everything faded away, God and all. I remained with Odion, trying to see through my hair and the smoke as Ra disappeared. The only thing that remained was the shadow of someone wearing a cloak where Yami Marik had stood for the majority of the duel. When the smoke cleared, the face of the man introduced to me as Namu but was actually Marik was standing on his feet.

"Marik!" Ishizu helped identify him as she cried to him.

"Look at his face!" I heard Ryuji gasp.

"Is his dark side gone?" Honda asked in reply.

Marik had to gasp for air for a long moment before straightening. He slid the cape off of his shoulders and to the ground below.

"Yugi…" His voice appeared out of his mouth. "I still have one life point left… Our duel is not yet over…"

He didn't play any cards though. The two duelists stood there in silence for nearly a minute before Marik spoke again. "Yugi… no… Soul of the Pharaoh! Our duel is done. Thank you for saving me." Yami's eyes widened at the words then further at what he did next. Since I was partially behind him, I couldn't see the action clearly but I knew.

He surrendered.

I heard the life point meter hit zero and the dark shadow that had covered the field since the beginning finally faded away, revealing the sun once more. I was partially blinded by the light but I adjusted quickly.

"The Battle City Finals are Over!" Roland's voice echoed around me. "The winner is: Yugi Motou!"

The gang jumped onto the platform just as it hit the ground but I hesitated, wanting to be sure that Odion was ok. The Tomb Keeper gently pushed me away, a soft smile on his face.

"I am fine, Lady Nefertari." He breathed gently so that no one could hear. "Thank you."

I reluctantly nodded and raced to Yami. My boyfriend wrapped me up in a tight hug, turning away from whatever Jounouchi was talking to him about. Compared to me, a girl who was always cold, he was absolutely freezing. I made a note to get him something warm to drink.

"Nice job." I breathed into his shoulder.

Yami chuckled and the sound made me smile.

"I'm amazed that you could see most of the duel from where you were hiding behind Jounouchi." Yami teased.

I pinched him. "Eeeh."

"You try being afraid of fire and this giant flaming chicken pops and destroys your favorite God Card! Twice!"

I hissed to be quiet from the rest of the gang but Yami laughing at me blocked it out entirely. "I'd like to see you stay calm!" Yami only continued to laugh at me and that spread to the rest of the gang. I was released when Kaiba began to bark into the midst.

"Yugi!" Kaiba snapped, breaking the happy mood. "By defeating Marik, you have earned the title of Duel King! As the host of this Tournament, I applaud your achievement!"

"And now the ante!" Mokuba chirped. "The champion will accept a card from the loser!"

Ishizu, who had stepped onto the platform with Odion, whispered something to Marik who nodded his head. Yami released me fully to meet Marik halfway.

"Yugi..." Marik breathed gently, loud enough for all of us to hear. "The spells I cast on your friends have been broken. They'll regain consciousness soon."

I could feel Jounouchi's smile even from a few feet away. "And here: my God Card." Marik held out a card that Yami took hesitantly. He pulled out the two other God Cards from his graveyard and held the three up. "And this… is the key to the King's memory, which my clan has protected for centuries." My eyes narrowed when he lifted his shirt over his head. What was he…? Then, when he went to turn around, I remembered what had happened to him. The scars that were the birth of his second personality.

I couldn't look so I turned away.

Whoever decreed that the Ishtars should look after the secrets of the Pharaoh's past by carving it into their son's backs deserved every torture. Who was demented enough to put children in that kind of pain? Someone who possibly knew this would happen… My heart wept for the pain of Marik and his family. I listened faintly to what they were saying – how the glyphs painstakingly carved into Marik's back were a prophecy about how to identify the Pharaoh and what to do after – but I refused to look up. I also heard Marik hand over the Millennium Rod and Ring. Hopefully Yugi could take precautions to ensure that Bakura didn't get it back. I only looked up when I was poked in the shoulder and Anzu's voice said it was safe.

"Yugi." Ishizu's voice made me turn to her and she smiled when she saw my eyes. "My brother is freed from the curse of the darkness. We three will take a new path and rebuilt the Ishtar family in a shining future."

"Pharaoh… and Yugi… and Christine as well – if she wants to of course…" Marik added on, the additions coming even faster, making me snort in laughter. "If you ever visit the Land of Egypt, I hope you will see us again, this time as friends."

I was roped into Yami's side, hand at my waist to ensure I couldn't escape.

"We will, whether or not she wants to is the actual question." Yami teased me again.

I pinched him again, creating more laughter.

"Battle City is officially over!" Kaiba broke the mood again. "Yugi! I'll let you be the King of Duelists… for now!"

I'd like to see him beat him… "And now! The Duel Tower, the final stage of Battle City, has outlived its usefulness! Therefore, in approximately one hour, this entire structure will be vaporized by heavy explosives!"

What?

I heard none of what was said next, my thoughts were stuck on the words 'vaporized' and 'heavy explosives'. I did hear Yami sigh and his hands adjust to my shoulders.

"I do believe it is time we moved, Mereret. Any objections?"

"None. Let's go."

I do admit my voice was slightly squeaky from fright and that Marik's eyes widened at the sound but I didn't care at the moment. I only wanted to get on the blimp and get the heck out of here! With no argument from me, Yami adjusted to pull me towards the elevator down to the ground. The gang dashed to follow us while the Ishtars watched us leave for a moment.

By the time we were climbing aboard the blimp, I had calmed down enough to have Yami release my shoulders.

"Hey!" Anzu chirped suddenly. "What about Mai? Is she going to be okay to travel?"

"Good thinkin!" Jounouchi agreed. "Come on, let's go to her room!"

We all dashed to where Ryuji and I had spent most of the morning. Jounouchi bashed down the door, not bothering to knock as usual. "Mai! Are you okay?"

Sitting in the room was Bakura. At the noise, he turned around and smiled at us.

"Hey guys!" He chirped like nothing was wrong. "Good to see you!"

"Bakura? Is this where you were?!" Honda gasped. "Where have you been all this time?!"

"Gosh guys…" Bakura lifted a hand behind his head in a bashful way. "It's kind of funny… When I woke up, I was buried in the rubble outside! I don't know how I got there! I just now got back and washed up."

Jounouchi then dashed over to lean over Mai, who still seemed to be asleep. I couldn't help but notice her face was slightly red compared to the pale face I had seen this morning. Even though Bakura said she wasn't breathing, I did see the faint lifts of her chest in breath.

She was faking it.

For the sake of the joke, I said nothing until I heard Mai fight of a laugh. I knew it. She started laughing in earnest when she saw Jounouchi's face, white with shock and tears teaming at his eyes.

"You were crying!" Mai beamed at him. "Awww! I'm so happy! I didn't know you were that worried about me!"

She then flipped over to Bakura, who was also laughing. "See! I told you it'd work! This blockhead would fall for anything!" Rolling my eyes at Jounouchi's anger, I adjusted to lean into Yami, who was also shaking his head. The movement brought Mai's eyes to us, turning with Jounouchi's head in a choke hold. "Hey Yugi! You won, huh? Good going, man! I knew you could do it!"

"Yes…" Yami chuckled in reply.

"Dear!"

I chuckled and stepped over to her. "You look paler than me! Are you ok?" I sighed.

"Kaiba is being Kaiba and not a help for my blood pressure." I replied.

"So a normal day?"

I nodded my head sagely, making Mai laugh and tug me into a hug. We let Mai get herself settled before we went to the small kitchen to eat something. The food was nice in my very empty stomach; I hadn't eaten much today and it showed. The intercom went off when I took a bite of a banana.

 _"Attention! Will everyone on Alcatraz Island please board the Battle Ship immediately!"_ The voice called. _"Upon confirming all crew members, the Battle Ship will take off!"_

"The Island's blowing up in 20 minutes!" Jounouchi practically whimpered. "Hurry up and take off already!"

When it was five minutes before detonation, we all started to get nervous. Yami kept a hand on my shoulder when I started to clench my hands in my shorts again. Could we just leave already?! When we still weren't moving, Jounouchi and Honda stood and dashed out the door when suits passed up. Anzu and Yami, taking me after him, followed behind him. "Hey! Get this blimp off the ground already! There's only five minutes left!"

"W-we're still waiting for the Kaibas to get on board!" Roland explained.

"What?! Kaiba and his brother are missing?"

"Does that mean they are still on the island?" Yami suggested.

"He better not be planning to kill himself because he lost to Yugi! I mean, it's not like it's the first time!"

I flinched at the remembrance of him standing at the edge of Pegasus' castle. Anzu noticed it and whacked Jounouchi.

"Don't say that!" Anzu snapped.

"Let's search the whole ship!" Honda suggested. "From top to bottom! But don't get off the ship!"

Nobody argued. Yami and I dashed down hall after hall, calling out for Kaiba and Mokuba. I was starting to panic. I couldn't stand the thought of them… I had to force the image away; I'd really panic if that happened. When there was only 30 seconds left, Yami eventually took me up to the dueling platform. We were taking off and were a good way from the island when it detonated. I clutched my hands over my ears to stop the noise but it echoed in the still air. Mai held me as Yami was leaning over the railing, staring down at the destruction of the island. Why would Kaiba….

A new noise hit my ears then. A noise I recognized from an air show I went to as a kid. I pulled my hands away from my ears to lean over the railing as well. Was that the sound of a military grade fighter jet? Sure enough, a Kaiba Corp branded fighter jet lifted from the debris of the quickly sinking island with Kaiba and Mokuba in cockpit.

"WHAT?!" Jounouchi growled. "He's riding a fighter plane?!"

I wanted to mad, I really did, but I only gave a sigh. I should have expected it; it's Kaiba after all. Though, I did miss the Blue Eyes White Jet; that'd been funny to see.

"The leader of the Kaiba Corporation can't return on some airship!" Mokuba's voice echoed out of the plane. "Enjoy your blimp ride, losers!"

"That's Kaiba, all right…" Anzu sighed.

"At least they're safe…" Ryuji sighed as well.

"Have a good trip back to Japan!" Mokuba's voice appeared again. "My brother's gonna fly to America to star our plan to make Kaiba Lands worldwide!"

I sighed again. My heart was still racing a mile a minute thanks to those jerks. If I ever saw them again, those two would definitely receive a bit of my anger. We all watched as Kaiba and Mokuba blasted off across the ocean to America.

"Christine?" Marik's voice was soft as he called from the back of the group but I still heard it. "May I have a word?"

I took a quick glance at Yami, seeing him still looking off to where Kaiba flew off, before nodding. The two of us walked off the platform and to the stairs that connected it to the rest of the blimp. When we reached a quiet spot, Marik stopped. He took a deep breath before turning around to face me. "I… I…" When it looked like he was having trouble finding the words, I raised my hand to stop him.

"Yesterday, I would have punched you straight in the face if I had the chance."

Marik's head dropped. "Today… I have decided not to punch you." He looked up again. "Though, if you ever try that again…" The tomb keeper's hands quickly raised in surrender.

"Not a chance!"

A smile raced across my face and my hands dropped to lace behind my back.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Marik's face dropped again. His head then dropped, hair falling and covering his features.

"I'd like to apologize to you for everything I've done."

"You already have though."

"Not for everything."

Marik lifted his head again. "I tried to take over you. You… You somehow blocked me out but I still tried and I am so sorry." I popped my hip to lean onto it, crossing my arms. "I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me." I gave a sigh, not needing to think about my answer.

Though I did whack him over the head. "Ow! What was -?!"

"For thinking that I couldn't forgive you."

Marik blinked. "I admit I can hold a grudge… for a long time… but that's beside the point. You made an attempt to apologize and I consider people to do that very sincere. So…" I lifted a hand and held it out to him. "Forgive and Forget?" Marik's gaze flicked between my face and my hand. It seemed he was quite distressed at what I said. "I'm not going to freeze you if you take my hand, Marik. I do have my temper under control; unlike at the pier buuuut…" That finally made Marik chuckle and he took my hand.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem. Just remember…"

"There won't be an encore; this was a one-time only show."

Happy to hear my words from yesterday repeated, I smiled and took my hand back.

"We should get back to everybody. I don't want Jounouchi and Honda making up rumors."

Before I could turn around, Marik called my name gently. I turned back to see him pulling a small golden chain out of his pocket.

"I found this years ago while searching for the God Cards in ruins of an old palace structure in Thebes Pegasus had been seen in. I thought you should have it."

I tilted my head in confusion but Marik said nothing else as he held out whatever he was holding. Curious, I held out my hands and Marik dropped a golden necklace into my hands. The chain was modern but the charm was… older. I adjusted to hold the charm between my fingers. It was in the shape of a tiny Millennium Puzzle, eye on it and everything. It was almost adorable how cute it was. It looked well taken care of, the gold was hardly tarnished at. I carefully slid a finger over the eye and Iliana's – my – voice appeared in my head.

 _"What is this?"_ My voice sounded awfully confused.

 _"What do you think it is?"_ Yami's voice appeared next. _"Can't a man give his betrothed a gift?"_

"It's mine." I breathed when the voices faded.

"I don't know how it survived this long in the desert sands but yes." Marik replied. "Since we identified it, I've held onto it. Now I can return it to you."

I stared at the charm for another long moment. Another physical proof of who I was. Holding something this ancient and yet I knew it was mine was very strange. I released a breath, shoving those thoughts aside. I'd deal with all of this later. I lifted my head again.

"Could you help me put it on, Marik?"

The Tomb Keeper blinked at me. He was about to argue but snapped his mouth shut at the last second and nodded his head. I gave him back the necklace before pulling my hair out of the way and turning around. I heard the soft snap of the hook closing and the warmed gold chain hit my neck. I let my hair fall back to its place and looked down to the charm again, hanging just below my collarbone. The wave of nostalgia hit me again but it didn't consume me. I turned back around to Marik.

"Thank you, Marik."

The Tomb Keeper smiled. "We should get back now. Jounouchi is definitely creating rumors now." Marik laughed and nodded and we walked back up the stairs to the duel platform where everyone was situated. Nobody seemed to have noticed we were gone so while Marik went to his sister and Odion, I popped over to Yami, who immediately noticed the new addition to my outfit. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously but I simply nodded my head towards Marik. That didn't seem to make things better so I whispered that I would tell him later and that placated him.

Two days after we returned from Battle City, I got up earlier than I wanted to. I very unhappily put on clothes and left the game shop house. I didn't eat breakfast as where I was going would be feeding me. I didn't even check to see if Yugi or Grandpa were up yet. I trekked into the city and into a small café where the large amount of security guards alerted me to the person who called me out of my comfortable bed.

"Darling!" Pegasus' voice appeared out of the cluster of guards. "Over here!"

I smiled as the guards let me through so that I could settle at the table with the game designer. "You look exhausted, dear."

"That's what happens when you call me out of my bed at a little past six in the morning." I retorted.

Pegasus gave a bright laugh, waving a hand for someone to bring something over. One of the guards stepped over to hand me a cup of coffee, still piping hot. "Thank you, Pegasus."

"It is nothing, my dear."

The game designer took a sip of his own coffee, a satisfied smile gracing his face. He looked so much better than the last time I had seen him; it was like he was an entirely new person. His outfit may have looked the same but… I couldn't put my finger on what I could tell but it was like his outlook on life had changed entirely.

"How are you feeling, Pegasus?"

"Wonderful, darling. Why do you ask?"

"I mean… the last time I saw you, you were bleeding to death."

"Ah…"

Pegasus set down his cup so that he wasn't distracted. "It was strange for the first few days to not have the Millennium Eye but I soon realized it was less of a burden on me. I can now focus entirely on the expansion of my beloved game. And you, of course, as my guardian angel." I gave a laugh at the title and the irony of a Guardian Angel being my token card. "And that brings me to why I called you here." I blinked as he leaned over to pick up a large bag. I could only see so much but I noticed the top of another canvas.

"Another painting?"

"Of course! This time, I was inspired by a dream I had a few days ago. I thought you would approve of it."

My eyebrow raised at his words but didn't argue with him. I took the bag but when I tried to peek at the image, Pegasus stopped me. "Ah ah! Look at it when you get home. It's wrapped up to protect it and that's just messy to clean up."

"Ok ok."

I enjoyed the cups of coffee and pastries that Pegasus paid for, definitely filling my stomach from a lack of breakfast. When it was nearly midday, I decided to call it quits. "Grandpa will be looking for me."

"Of course, darling. Give him my regards as well as to Yugi-boy. That was a spectacular victory."

"I will. And thank you for the painting."

The guards let me out of their protective circle and I was home free… Until another voice called out my name once I was walking down the street towards home.

"Christine!" Jounouchi's voice cried.

I turned around and smiled as Jounouchi and Yami ran up. What were they doing up and out? They were both wearing their duel disks so probably dueling others or each other.

"Hello, you two. How long have you been up?"

"Couple of hours. Look at this!"

Jounouchi pulled out his deck and pulled out the Red Eyes Black Dragon card. So he got it back, huh?

"That's awesome, Jounouchi! It must be nice to be reunited!"

"It sure is!"

Jounouchi kept smiling brightly as he clutched as he prized card. Yami was the next one to speak but his question was far from Jounouchi's card.

"What's in the bag?" Yami asked.

I held it up to show him the canvas shape to it.

"A new painting from Pegasus. I don't know what it is of though."

"Can we trust it?!" Jounouchi gasped. "It's from Pegasus after all!"

I gave him an icy look and the blond flinched back. "What?!"

"It's a painting. Why on earth would Pegasus try to hurt me with a painting?"

Jounouchi had nothing smart to say about that so I gave a huff and turned around to walk back to the shop. There was silence for a moment before Yami's boots approached me from behind. His hand quickly moved so that he could pry one off the bag and could hold it in his. I gave a sigh, relaxing to hold his in return. "Jounouchi sounded just like you right now." Yami gave a chuckle.

"He did…" Yami replied. "Which is why I didn't say anything."

"Hmmm. You're learning."

Yami's free hand came up to bop me on the head but all I did was laugh. We walked peacefully back to the Game Shop where Grandpa smiled at us as we walked in. I promised I would help in the shop after I handled my painting and Yami followed me up the stairs.

Once we hit my room, he helped me free the canvas from the large amount of paper that Pegasus had wrapped it in; Pegasus was right, this would have made a large mess if unwrapped at the café. Once it was fully unwrapped, Yami placed it on my bed so we could see the full image painstakingly painted.

The near identical face of my mother was the first thing I saw. She, like my own portrait, was smiling at the painter dressed in a beautiful red dress while holding a small bundle of white cloth in her arms. Gently holding her shoulder was my father, dark beard and the thin white scar prominent on his face. He had his sword strapped to his hip and Pegasus seemed to have put it in that position to remind me of the sound from my dream, the sound of rock across metal. Settled at my mother's knees was Kari, the gray wolf. The bright yellow eyes stared right at us, like she knew we were there. My throat had closed up so no words could escape. This had all come from a dream? Even with the Millennium Eye gone, his vision had to have been incredible.

"What is this?"

My hand lifted to brush next to my mother's hair then down to the bundle in her arms. That was when I noticed the little bit of skin peeking out from inside the white cloth. Me…?

"My parents… My parents not long after I was born…"

Yami didn't reply, probably turning his head so that he could look at me. My finger dragged then to Kari, petting over her head but avoiding the paint so I didn't damage it. "Geez… How young are they? Is Mother nearly my age? Good gosh…"

"She's 16-17? That seems awfully young…"

"Oh, come on…"

I straightened up and quickly bounced my hip off of my boyfriend's but he didn't retort. "Don't you know? Some cultures back then had people getting married at 12." The shift in Yami's expression made me laugh. "Times were different, Yami. When we get our memories back, we'll remember this conversation and laugh." The word 'when' actually made Yami smile.

Yami quickly turned to take my hand and pull me to him, moving is other hand to my face so that I couldn't move away. He pressed a kiss to my forehead then a quick peck on my lips.

"Thank you."

My face burst into a bright smile before adjusting to wrap my arms around my boyfriend. I was quickly wrapped up in return with his head pressed against my own.

We survived this far. We could make it to the end

 **Marik: Yeah! I'm the good bean officially!**

 **Bakura: Just don't mess it up!**

 **Marik: Robyn! Help!**

 ***Silence except for the sound of God Shattering Star echoing from around the corner***

 **Marik: *Looks at the audience and puts his hands to his head like antlers* Fear the Deer!**


End file.
